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US president's son faces new charges, Hunter Biden was hired by Romanian businessman to 'influence' US agencies
Hunter Biden faces fresh charges, prosecutors claim he had dealings with Romanian businessman when Joe Biden was vice president.
As election season gathers momentum in US Hunter Biden's business dealings are back in the spotlight. Prosecutors have revealed that during Joe Biden's tenure as vice president, Hunter was hired by Romanian businessman Gabriel Popoviciu, who was under investigation for corruption. The special counsel, David Weiss, has stated that Hunter's business associate will testify about this arrangement in the upcoming federal tax trial.
Hunter Biden's foreign business activities have been a recurring point of contention, especially among Republicans investigating the Biden family. Hunter has consistently denied any wrongdoing and insists his father was never involved in his business affairs.
Hunter Biden faces fresh charges
Prosecutors plan to present evidence showing that Hunter and his associate received payments from Popoviciu, who was looking to influence U.S. policy and public opinion to mitigate his legal troubles in Romania. Though Popoviciu is referred to as G.P. in court documents, the details align with previous reports about Hunter's work in Romania.
Who is Gabriel Popoviciu?
Popoviciu was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2017 for real estate fraud, which he denied. Prosecutors allege that Hunter and his associate agreed to help Popoviciu in a way that concealed their true intent—to influence U.S. agencies to investigate the Romanian probe against him. The payments were disguised as fees for managing real estate properties in Romania, but prosecutors assert this was a cover for their actual lobbying efforts.
Hunter Biden's legal team has requested that the trial exclude references to these allegations, arguing they are politically motivated and irrelevant to the tax charges at hand. They emphasize that Hunter has never been charged with any crime related to these accusations.
The trial, set to begin next month in Los Angeles, will focus on charges that Hunter failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes over four years, a period during which he has acknowledged struggling with drug addiction. Prosecutors maintain that while they won't introduce evidence of direct payments from a foreign government, Hunter's agreement to lobby on Popoviciu's behalf is relevant to demonstrating his state of mind and intent.
This trial follows Hunter Biden's recent conviction on charges related to a 2018 gun purchase, where he was accused of lying about his drug use. Although he faces up to 25 years in prison, as a first-time offender, he is expected to receive a much lighter sentence.
