Current:Home > ScamsHunter Biden’s lawyers expected in court for final hearing before June 3 gun trial -BeyondWealth Learning
Hunter Biden’s lawyers expected in court for final hearing before June 3 gun trial
View
Date:2025-04-13 15:12:48
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Attorneys for Hunter Biden are due in court Friday for the final hearing before the president’s son is expected to stand trial on federal firearms charges in Delaware as his father’s reelection campaign unfolds.
Hunter Biden is charged with lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days in Delaware. He has acknowledged an addiction to crack cocaine during that period, but his lawyers have said he didn’t break the law and the case is politically motivated.
The two sides have been arguing in court documents about evidence in the case, including contents from a laptop that he allegedly dropped off at a Delaware repair shop. Defense attorneys question the authenticity of the laptop’s data in court documents, but prosecutors say there’s no evidence the data has been compromised and that a drawn-out fight over it at trial would be a waste of time. The laptop has been the source of controversy for years after Republicans accessed and disseminated personal data from it.
Prosecutors also plan to show jurors portions of his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things,” in which he detailed his struggle with alcoholism and drug abuse following the 2015 death of his older brother, Beau, who succumbed to brain cancer at age 46.
Defense attorneys argue prosecutors are cherry-picking evidence from the book and want to also include more information they chose.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika will preside over what’s expected to be the last hearing before trial expected to begin with jury selection on June 3.
Hunter Biden is also facing federal tax charges in Los Angeles, and is set for trial in that case in September. He’s accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over four years while living an “extravagant lifestyle” during a period in which he has acknowledged struggling with addiction. The back taxes have since been paid.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers have pushed unsuccessfully in both cases to have them dismissed. They have argued, among other things, that prosecutors bowed to political pressure to indict him after a plea agreement hit the skids in court and was publicly pilloried by Republicans, including Trump, as a “sweetheart deal.”
Trump, who is running to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden, faces his own legal problems. He is charged in four criminal cases, including a hush money trial underway in New York.
The long-running federal investigation into the president’s son had looked ready to wrap up with a plea deal last year, but the agreement imploded after a judge raised questions about it. Hunter Biden was subsequently indicted.
Under the deal, he would have gotten two years of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. He also would have avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of Hunter Biden at https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Man shot to death outside mosque as he headed to pray was a 43-year-old Philadelphia resident
- Cardi B Reveals She's Pregnant With Baby No. 3 Amid Divorce From Offset
- Watch as adorable bear cubs are spotted having fun with backyard play set
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- ‘He had everyone fooled': Former FBI agent sentenced to life for child rape in Alabama
- Patrick Dempsey Comments on Wife Jillian's Sexiness on 25th Anniversary
- Watch a DNA test reunite a dog with his long lost mom
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- 'Power Rangers' actor Hector David Jr. accused of assaulting elderly man in Idaho
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- USA Women's Basketball vs. Belgium live updates: TV, time and more from Olympics
- Sunisa Lee’s long road back to the Olympics ended in a familiar spot: the medal stand
- Arkansas Supreme Court asked to disqualify ballot measure that would block planned casino
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Pregnant Cardi B Puts Baby Bump on Display in New York After Filing for Divorce From Offset
- Facebook parent Meta forecasts upbeat Q3 revenue after strong quarter
- Obama and Bush join effort to mark America’s 250th anniversary in a time of political polarization
Recommendation
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
USA Women's Basketball vs. Belgium live updates: TV, time and more from Olympics
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Share Rare Family Update During First Joint Interview in 3 Years
Drunk driver was going 78 mph when he crashed into nail salon and killed 4, prosecutors say
Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
AI might take your next Taco Bell drive-thru order as artificial intelligence expands
Proposed rule would ban airlines from charging parents to sit with their children
Matt Damon and Wife Luciana Damon Make Rare Red Carpet Appearance With Their 4 Daughters