(Daily Mail) Hunter Biden has lost an effort to have eight criminal charges against him thrown out and a judge Monday night allowed the tax fraud case to move forward.
Judge Mark Scarsi determined the three felony charges and six misdemeanor charges for tax evasion, filing a false return and failing to pay over $1 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019 could not be deemed political as Hunter’s attorneys had argued.
Hunter’s attorneys last week returned to federal court in Los Angeles to urge the judge to consider dismissal of the nine tax charges against Hunter brought by special counsel David Weiss.
‘The motion is remarkable in that it fails to include a single declaration, exhibit, or request for judicial notice,’ Trump-appointed Scarsi wrote. ‘Instead, Defendant cites portions of various Internet news sources, social media posts, and legal blogs. These citations, however, are not evidence.’
Scarsi said the sources contained ‘multiple levels of hearsay’ and failed ‘to present a reasonable inference, let alone clear evidence, of discriminatory effect and discriminatory purpose .’
The charges stem from what federal prosecutors say was a four-year scheme to skip out on paying the $1.4 million he owed to the IRS and instead use the money to fund an ‘extravagant lifestyle’ that by his own admission included drugs and alcohol.
Hunter Biden is readying another high-profile courtroom drama on Wednesday, when his lawyers will ask a judge to throw out the charges against him for failing to pay over $ 1 million in taxes
His lawyers have launched efforts to throw out part or all of the charges and Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi will decide the fate of the case
The charges span the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 tax years.
Meanwhile, Hunter Biden, 53, has also been charged in Delaware with lying in October 2018 on a federal form for gun purchasers when he swore he wasn’t using or addicted to illegal drugs. He was addicted to crack cocaine at the time. He is also accused of possessing the gun illegally and has pleaded not guilty in that case.
Federal prosecutors say Hunter repeatedly failed to pay his taxes on time, missed deadlines to pay debts he owed to the IRS and criminally evaded taxes by cooking his books and filing false returns.
The Justice Department says Hunter faces up to 17 years in prison for the tax charges and 25 years for the gun charges if convicted, in dual cases that could have a devastating impact on his father’s presidential campaign.
Hunter is accused of dodging taxes on income he received from China and Ukraine – giving fodder to Republicans who have accused Hunter of corruptly profiting off overseas business dealings through his last name.
