Prosecutors in the U.S. criminal tax case against Hunter Biden accused him of accepting payments from a Romanian businessman who sought to influence U.S. government agencies during a criminal probe in Romania. The U.S. Department of Justice made this allegation in a Wednesday filing in Los Angeles federal court, where Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, faces a scheduled trial on September 9 over tax evasion charges. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty.
The allegation stems from Hunter Biden’s work for Gabriel Popoviciu, a wealthy Romanian businessman identified as “G.P.” in the filing. Prosecutors claim that Popoviciu hired Hunter Biden for legal work in late 2015 while Joe Biden was serving as U.S. vice president. Although Reuters could not independently verify that “G.P.” refers to Popoviciu, the filing asserts that Hunter Biden and a business associate received compensation from this foreign principal, who aimed to influence U.S. policy and public opinion and sought to prompt the United States to investigate the Romanian probe involving Popoviciu.
Prosecutors added that Hunter Biden and his business associate worried about the potential political fallout for Joe Biden due to the lobbying work. They also claimed that Hunter Biden attempted to conceal the “true nature” of his work for Popoviciu.
Popoviciu faced bribery charges in Romania, according to the filing.
In December, a federal grand jury charged Hunter Biden with failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019 while spending millions on drugs and luxury items. Additionally, he faces charges for evading tax assessment for the 2018 tax year by filing false returns. The president’s son is currently facing three felony charges along with several misdemeanor counts.
In a separate case, a Wilmington, Delaware, jury convicted Hunter Biden in June of lying about illegal drug use when he purchased a handgun in 2018. He has not yet been sentenced for that conviction.
Lawyers for Hunter Biden, prosecutors, and the White House have not responded to requests for comment. Efforts to reach Popoviciu outside business hours were unsuccessful.
