Special counsel David Weiss is set to present more than 300 exhibits, ranging from text messages to financial records, when the tax evasion case against Hunter Biden goes to trial on June 20, according to a court document filed on May 15.
Money transfers to women, emails from ex-wife Kathleen Biden (now Buhle), tax forms, divorce settlements, and tax correspondence are among the 321 exhibits that Mr. Weiss and his team outlined as evidence to be presented at the highly anticipated trial of President Joe Biden’s son next month.
Mr. Biden was indicted in December 2023 by a California grand jury on nine counts of tax offenses. The indictment alleges that Mr. Biden spent about $1.4 million on a lavish lifestyle, including on “escorts” and “drugs,” instead of fulfilling his tax obligations between 2016 and 2019.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California released the exhibit list ahead of the trial. It paints a picture of the special counsel’s case against Mr. Biden, shedding light on his personal and financial affairs, including tax debts, legal disputes, and personal expenses, some of which appear to originate from Mr. Biden’s abandoned laptop.
Money Transfers
Under scrutiny are Wells Fargo and Chase financial transactions that will shed light on money and wire transfers linked with Mr. Biden’s financial affairs. The documents reference “Multiple Chase wires,” a “Zelle money transfer,” and a “Wells Fargo Transaction Report,” among many others.
At the top of the exhibit list is a reference to a $4,000 “money transfer” to Jordan Lehua, who was identified in emails from Mr. Biden’s abandoned laptop as having received at least three Zelle payments in 2018.
Zelle money transfers repeatedly appeared in Mr. Biden’s emails that were recovered from his laptop, which was left at a Delaware computer repair shop. The laptop’s contents included a trove of emails, text messages, and photos that generated numerous stories about Mr. Biden’s drug abuse, alleged sexual indiscretions, and money problems. Mr. Biden has admitted to his drug issues in his memoir.
The exhibit list also outlines email correspondences involving Mr. Biden and individuals linked to him on financial matters, travel arrangements, and business dealings.
Two items regarding “Emerald Fantasy Girls, Inc.” are noteworthy: One refers to “recent filings” and the other to “articles of incorporation.”
Tax Matters
A significant portion of the exhibits (40 out of 321 items, or about 12 percent) refer to Mr. Biden’s ex-wife and legal proceedings and court documents related to their divorce.There are about a half-dozen specific references made in the list to “IRS” matters.
Mr. Biden’s personal finances, such as tax forms and correspondence regarding alimony and tax liens, are noted by the prosecutors. This includes reference to three emails from Mr. Biden’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle to Mr. Biden’s then-assistant, Katie Dodge, about “tax liens.”
Other references in the exhibit list are made to emails from Ms. Dodge with Mr. Morgan’s accounting firm, Morgan Wingate, referencing “taxes,” “IRS totals,” and “numbers.”
The exhibits include a “Summary of a Telephone Conversation with IRS Agent Mr. Turner,” Mr. Biden’s and Owasco PC’s separate 2014 tax returns, and his and his ex-wife’s 2015 tax returns.
Indictment
Mr. Biden was charged with three counts of failure to pay taxes for the years 2016, 2017, and 2019, and three counts of failure to file tax returns for the years 2017 and 2018.Additionally, he faces charges of tax evasion, filing a false return, and filing a false return for his company, Owasco PC, for the tax year 2018.
Mr. Biden allegedly made a deliberate effort to evade taxes, including bypassing his company’s payroll and tax withholding processes to withdraw millions outside of established procedures, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors also allege that he claimed false deductions in 2018 to reduce his tax liability, willfully failed to pay his taxes on time between 2016 and 2019, and neglected to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time.
If convicted on all counts, Mr. Biden could face a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison. This indictment followed the collapse of a plea deal that Mr. Biden had entered with prosecutors in July 2023, which linked tax crimes to resolving felony gun charges in a separate case.
