Special Counsel David Weiss’ final report on the years-long investigation into Hunter Biden says the eldest son’s drug abuse cannot explain unpaid taxes on millions of dollars in income from his “family name and connections.” I decided.
“Mr. Biden, a well-educated lawyer and businessman, consciously and intentionally chose not to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over four years. From 2016 to 2020, Mr. Biden received more than $7 million in gross income.” , approximately $1.5 million in 2016, $2.3 million in 2017, $2.1 million in 2018, $1 million in 2019, and $188,000 from January to October 15, 2020,” Weiss said. wrote in the final report released Monday.
“Biden has used his family name and connections to secure lucrative business opportunities, including a seat on the board of Ukrainian conglomerate Burisma Holdings and a joint venture with individuals tied to a Chinese energy conglomerate. “He made this money. He negotiated and entered into contracts and agreements that paid him millions of dollars for limited work,” Weiss continued.
Hunter Biden, 54, has had a busy year in court, having been convicted last year in two separate federal cases prosecuted by Weiss. He began his first trial in Delaware in June, facing three drug-related felony gun charges, and pleaded guilty in September to another felony tax case.
Justice Department releases special counsel David Weiss’ report on Hunter Biden
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden leave the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 7, 2024. Hunter Biden’s felony firearms trial continues today with additional witnesses. (Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Hunter Biden’s September trial centered around three felony tax crimes and six misdemeanor charges for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. But as jury selection in the case was about to begin in Los Angeles federal court, Hunter Biden made a surprise guilty plea.
Weiss went on to say in the report that Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on a lavish lifestyle rather than paying taxes,” adding, “In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, Hunter Biden spent millions of dollars on a lavish lifestyle rather than paying taxes.” “I did not pay on time,” he said. Funds used to pay some or all of these taxes. ”
Weiss added that her eldest son’s past drug abuse does not explain his failure to pay taxes.
Hunter Biden: A look back at how the story unfolded over 6 years
“These are not ‘minor’ or ‘technical’ tax violations,” Weiss wrote. “And drug use cannot explain Mr. Biden’s actions. Most obviously, Mr. It was filed eight months later in February 2020. Therefore, given the nature and seriousness of his tax crimes, Mr. Biden’s indictment is warranted.”
David C. Weiss, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware; (Screenshot from Fox News)
Hunter has a well-documented history of substance abuse, most prominently documented in her 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things. The book walked readers through his past addiction to crack cocaine until he got sober in 2019. The memoir also featured prominently in another firearms case in which a jury in June found him guilty of three felonies related to buying a gun while addicted to cocaine. material.
Biden pardons son Hunter Biden before leaving Oval Office
“Evidence showed that because Mr. Biden held a highly paid position making millions of dollars, he chose to continue to fund his lavish lifestyle instead of paying taxes. He then He chose to lie by claiming false business deductions to his accountant when, in fact, they were personal expenses. His tax return preparer trusted him because, among other reasons, he was the only one who understood the nature of his deductions. “The deductions that were revealed were bogus because they were not provided with the records that could have been available to them,” Weiss continued.
The tax case carried a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison, but the eldest son likely would have received a shorter sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. His sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 16, but he was pardoned by his father, President Biden, earlier that month.
Biden won’t spare Hunter, White House reaffirms, but critics aren’t so sure
Hunter Biden’s full pardon covers a 10-year period that applies to any crimes he “committed or may have committed” at the federal level.
FILE – President Joe Biden, wearing a Team USA jacket, walks with his son Hunter Biden as they head to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Weiss’ report also took issue with the president’s pardon of Hunter Biden, specifically how President Biden characterized Hunter Biden’s prosecution as “selective” and “unfair.”
Hunter Biden convicted on all charges in gun trial
“This statement is unfounded and false,” Weiss said in the report. “Other presidents have pardoned families, but none has used this opportunity to smear Justice Department officials based solely on false accusations.”
“Politicians who attack the decisions of career prosecutors who disagree with the outcome of a case as politically motivated undermine public confidence in our criminal justice system,” Weiss wrote in another section of the report. . “The President’s comments unfairly impugn the integrity of not only Justice Department officials, but all public servants who have made difficult decisions in good faith.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Justice Department sent Weiss’ report to Congress on Monday night, officially ending the years-long investigation into the eldest son.
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Source link
