Hunter Biden’s Legal Battles Addiction and High Stakes in New Tax Trial This Week

[Social Media]

 

Hunter Biden, is set to face his second trial this year, this time on charges related to his failure to pay over a million dollars in federal taxes. The charges allege that he withheld at least $1.4 million between 2016 and 2019, during a period marked by his severe addiction to crack cocaine, which intensified following his brother Beau Biden's death from brain cancer. The addiction played a pivotal role in his earlier trial, where Hunter was convicted of lying about his drug use on a federal gun purchase form, marking the first criminal conviction of a sitting president’s child.

 

Hunter’s battle with addiction is expected to once again be at the center of his defense in the upcoming tax trial, which will begin with jury selection on September 5, followed by opening statements on September 9 in a California federal court.

 

Hunter has pleaded not guilty to the charges. During a pretrial hearing in Los Angeles last month, his lawyer, Mark Geragos, accused the prosecution of attempting to smear Hunter’s character by focusing on his personal struggles rather than the alleged crimes. “They want to slime him because that is the whole purpose,” Geragos argued, suggesting that the prosecution’s strategy is to paint Hunter in a negative light through salacious evidence and testimonies.

 

The evidence prosecutors plan to present includes details about Hunter's lavish lifestyle during his addiction, including his involvement with strip clubs, sex workers, drugs, and alcohol. Prosecutors argue that these personal expenditures provide insight into Hunter’s state of mind during the time he allegedly failed to file and pay his taxes. In court, prosecutor Leo Wise highlighted Hunter’s spending habits as potentially relevant to the jury’s assessment of whether his tax-related actions were intentional or reckless.

 

Wise cited Hunter’s payment to a pornographic website as an example of an expense Hunter categorized as a business deduction, showcasing his problematic financial decisions during that period. “He describes partying in hotels with a cast of strippers,” Wise said. “He chose to pay them, which is fine — it’s America, you can do that. But then he chose to take it as a business deduction.”

 

Hunter’s legal team has sought to limit references to his extravagant lifestyle, proposing to acknowledge his spending on generalized personal expenses if the court restricts detailed descriptions of his actions. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, overseeing the trial, stated that he would decide on these requests on a case-by-case basis during the trial but noted the importance of such evidence for assessing Hunter’s mental state in relation to some of the felony counts he faces.

 

Hunter is charged with nine counts, including tax evasion and filing false tax returns. While his legal team argues that his addiction severely impaired his judgment, making it impossible for him to have willfully committed these crimes, it will ultimately be up to the jury to decide his fate. A conviction could have severe consequences, especially since Hunter is no longer a first-time offender, following his earlier conviction on gun charges.

 

The trial promises to be highly charged, not just legally but emotionally, as Hunter’s personal history will undoubtedly play a prominent role. While Hunter and his father, President Biden, have openly discussed his struggles with addiction, Judge Scarsi has ruled that Hunter’s legal team cannot argue that his past traumas, such as his brother’s death or the 1972 car accident that killed his mother and sister, directly caused his addiction, deeming such evidence irrelevant to the case.

 

Throughout his legal battles, Hunter Biden has expressed gratitude for his journey toward recovery. “Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time,” he said after his conviction on gun charges. As his second trial unfolds, Hunter’s addiction will once again be at the forefront, but this time, the stakes are even higher, with his future hanging in the balance as a jury of 12 Californians prepares to deliver their verdict.

 

Credit: The Hill 2024-09-04

 

 

 

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[thesetat2013]

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

The evidence prosecutors plan to present includes details about Hunter's lavish lifestyle during his addiction, including his involvement with strip clubs, sex workers, drugs, and alcohol. Prosecutors argue that these personal expenditures provide insight into Hunter’s state of mind during the time he allegedly failed to file and pay his taxes. In court, prosecutor Leo Wise highlighted Hunter’s spending habits as potentially relevant to the jury’s assessment of whether his tax-related actions were intentional or reckless.

I'm sorry. But since when has using drugs been an acceptable excuse to use as a defense for criminal actions? Loads and loads of drug users rob, cheat, steal, even murder because they were using illicit drugs. The man needs to go to prison for his criminal behavior otherwise, the courts need to set precedence to allow any crime committed because of drug abuse to be forgiven. There should not be a double standard simply because he is the son of the Prez. 

[koolkarl]

Two sets of rules in this world and the politicians laugh their guts out. Biden Jr deserves a long jail time.

[Purdey]

What happened to that infamous laptop?

[placeholder]

3 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

I'm sorry. But since when has using drugs been an acceptable excuse to use as a defense for criminal actions? Loads and loads of drug users rob, cheat, steal, even murder because they were using illicit drugs. The man needs to go to prison for his criminal behavior otherwise, the courts need to set precedence to allow any crime committed because of drug abuse to be forgiven. There should not be a double standard simply because he is the son of the Prez. 

You seem to have utterly missed the point of that paragraph. The prosecutors weren't trying to excuse Biden because of his bad behavior, they were showing that he knowingly spent these funds in a depraved way instead of paying taxes.

[placeholder]

2 hours ago, koolkarl said:

Two sets of rules in this world and the politicians laugh their guts out. Biden Jr deserves a long jail time.

Actually, what Biden deserves, if he is found guilty, is whatever sentence  those who have been convicted of similar crimes have received. What's the data on that? Does it say somewhere in the sentencing guidelines "deserves a long jail time"?

[thesetat2013]

7 minutes ago, placeholder said:

You seem to have utterly missed the point of that paragraph. The prosecutors weren't trying to excuse Biden because of his bad behavior, they were showing that he knowingly spent these funds in a depraved way instead of paying taxes.

No, you missed my point. The defense will try to use that as an excuse the same way they did the gun trial. 

[Watawattana]

There's been a lot of politicisation and bickering over Hunter Biden & Donald Trump's crimes and trials, in various media including AN.  I don't give flying flock about politics when it comes to such matters.  You do the crime you do the time.  I don't give a sheet who you are.  Not one single person should be above the law.  And, doing drugs is absolutely ZERO excuse!

[placeholder]

3 minutes ago, thesetat2013 said:

No, you missed my point. The defense will try to use that as an excuse the same way they did the gun trial. 

Didn't get the much traction at the gun trial which is actually a lot harder case for the prosecution. And it's you who quoted the portion of the article about the prosecution's case.

[placeholder]

3 minutes ago, Watawattana said:

There's been a lot of politicisation and bickering over Hunter Biden & Donald Trump's crimes and trials, in various media including AN.  I don't give flying flock about politics when it comes to such matters.  You do the crime you do the time.  I don't give a sheet who you are.  Not one single person should be above the law.  And, doing drugs is absolutely ZERO excuse!

I'm sure your opinion is based on legal precedents and you're not just expressing a personal belief. 

Edit: actually sentencing guidelines don't allow drug or alcohol addiction as a mitigating Factor. So it's only useful as a tactic to gain an acquittal from a jury.

[thesetat2013]

4 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

I'm sorry. But since when has using drugs been an acceptable excuse to use as a defense for criminal actions? Loads and loads of drug users rob, cheat, steal, even murder because they were using illicit drugs. The man needs to go to prison for his criminal behavior otherwise, the courts need to set precedence to allow any crime committed because of drug abuse to be forgiven. There should not be a double standard simply because he is the son of the Prez. 

 

3 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Didn't get the much traction at the gun trial which is actually a lot harder case for the prosecution. And it's you who quoted the portion of the article about the prosecution's case.

Umm... no, there is not any mention about the prosecution. 

[placeholder]

3 minutes ago, thesetat2013 said:

 

Umm... no, there is not any mention about the prosecution. 

Really? Maybe you should read what you quoted again. It mentions the prosecutors twice. And the article goes on to say at the defense doesn't want details of biden's expenditures to be presented in court.

[thesetat2013]

54 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Really? Maybe you should read what you quoted again. It mentions the prosecutors twice. And the article goes on to say at the defense doesn't want details of biden's expenditures to be presented in court.

Did someone forget their glasses today? The one mentioning prosecution was Social Media. I only quoted it with a reply of my own.. I never said anything about prosection.. only about defense. 

[placeholder]

7 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

Did someone forget their glasses today? The one mentioning prosecution was Social Media. I only quoted it with a reply of my own.. I never said anything about prosection.. only about defense. 

Please. You quoted it why? Just a random quote that had nothing to do with what you wrote. ?

When you made a quote and then wrote a sentence beginning with "But" as in "But since when has using drugs been an acceptable excuse to use as a defense for criminal actions?" "But" is used to contradict a statement, not to endorse it.