(LibertySociety.com) – In an April 1 ruling, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi ruled that Hunter Biden’s attorneys failed to provide a convincing argument to dismiss charges related to his failure to pay taxes between 2016 and 2019. He has pleaded not guilty to all nine charges, including three felonies. His trial is set to begin on June 20, just five months before the 2024 presidential election.
During a March hearing, Hunter Biden’s attorneys claimed that Special Counsel David Weiss had only brought the charges against him after facing political pressure from conservatives and IRS whistleblowers. His legal team filed eight motions to have the charges dismissed, using various legal reasonings.
One of the filings claimed that Hunter Biden had immunity from future prosecution based on an earlier plea deal. However, that deal fell apart in court after the United States Probation Officer refused to sign off on it and the judge questioned his attorneys over the immunity provision. Scarsi did not buy any of the arguments put forth by Hunter Biden’s legal team. Regarding the alleged political motivation filing, Scarsi wrote that Hunter Biden’s attorneys failed to “include a single declaration, exhibit, or request for judicial notice,” but instead used online sources and media reports. He added that the media reports also contained “multiple levels of hearsay.”
Judge Scarsi rejected Hunter Biden’s claims of vindictive and selective prosecution, writing that no evidence of alleged discrimination by the Department of Justice was provided by his legal team. In a separate case, Hunter Biden is facing three federal gun charges in Delaware for lying about his drug addiction on a firearm application. He also pleaded not guilty to those charges, and his trial is set to begin on June 3 in his home state. The tax charges could put him behind bars for 17 years if a jury finds him guilty. Overall, Hunter Biden is facing up to 42 years in prison with the gun charges included.
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