Judge Agrees to Delay Hunter Biden's Tax Trial

UPDATE May 22, 2024 5:40 PM CDT

Hunter Biden has one less trial to worry about next month. A federal judge in California has agreed to move his tax trial back to Sept. 5. US District Judge Mark Scarsi said he would shift the date if lead Biden lawyer Abbe Lowell promises not to ask for any more delays, CNN reports. Lowell cited issues finding expert witnesses and Biden's federal gun trial in Delaware, scheduled to begin June 3. The president's son has pleaded not guilty in both cases, the AP reports. In the tax case, he is accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million over four years while living an "extravagant lifestyle." Prosecutors argued against a delay Wednesday, calling it a straightforward tax case.

May 16, 2024 7:11 AM CDT

Hunter Biden has two trials looming—and covering his legal bills could be a big problem. A source tells Politico that Hollywood entertainment lawyer Kevin Morris, who has been funding the president's son for years, has told associates that he is "tapped out" and doesn't have the resources to keep paying for Biden's lawyers. "Just when Hunter is facing two criminal trials starting in a few weeks, he has no resources. It's pretty dire," the source says. Politico says that when it asked Morris to comment, he "confirmed the person's account but declined to elaborate further."

Earlier this year, Morris told House lawmakers that he first met Hunter Biden at a fundraiser in 2019. "I believe, and still believe today, he's a very good person and a great guy," he said, per NBC News. "And, you know, that's why I decided to step in." His lawyer said Morris had loaned Biden more than $6.5 million. Morris has paid off Biden's back taxes and bought some of his paintings. "The reason Kevin got involved financially in the first place was that he could see that no one was going to help Hunter," Politico's source says. "Now, four and a half years later, there's still no help—and now Kevin is completely tapped out."

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Biden's trial on a federal gun charge is set to begin in Delaware on June 3. He is accused of lying about his drug use on a form to buy a gun in 2018. A separate trial on federal tax charges is due to begin in California on June 20. Politico reports that at a pretrial hearing in Delaware this week, Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected a request from lead Biden lawyer Abbe Lowell to delay the trial. Lowell said his team was still trying to finalize agreements with expert witnesses, who can charge $500 or more per hour. (More Hunter Biden stories.)