Special counsel David Weiss asked a judge to approve an immunity arrangement for Hunter Biden’s sister-in-law Hallie as part of a wide range of requests parties made to a judge in anticipation of the first son’s tax trial next month.
Weiss told Judge Mark Scarsi, according to court papers filed Wednesday night, that the Department of Justice’s Tax Division approved of granting both Hallie Biden and her sister Elizabeth Secundy immunity to testify against Hunter Biden when he stands trial on nine tax charges.
Both women indicated they would otherwise refuse to testify and would instead exercise their Fifth Amendment rights, Weiss said.
Hallie Biden, who was at one point romantically involved with Hunter Biden after her late husband Beau died, testified under the same immunity arrangement in the first son’s Delaware trial.
She admitted from the witness stand that Hunter Biden got her hooked on crack cocaine and that she threw his firearm away in 2018 out of fear that he would hurt himself. Hunter Biden was convicted of three charges related to his possession of the gun, in part thanks to Hallie Biden’s testimony.
Hunter Biden’s tax case is more expansive, involving allegations that he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes from 2017 to 2020 and that he evaded taxes and filed false returns.
Weiss accused Hunter Biden of neglecting his taxes while spending lavishly using millions of dollars he made through his foreign business ventures. The special counsel indicated that the first son’s expenses included ritzy hotels, drugs, and strippers. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty.
Defense attorneys, in their own set of requests Wednesday night, asked Scarsi to exclude from the trial any references to their client’s “extravagant lifestyle” or mentions that he was discharged from the Navy for failing a drug test.
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In addition to the immunity requests, prosecutors asked the judge to prohibit Hunter Biden from attempting to defend himself at trial by claiming he was relying on his attorney Kevin Morris’s advice when he allegedly filed false returns. Morris, an entertainment lawyer, is a confidante of Hunter Biden and began helping the first son in 2020, including by loaning him millions of dollars to pay off his debts.
Scarsi has scheduled a hearing for Aug. 21 to review the various requests about what evidence and testimony to permit at trial. The trial itself is set to begin in California on Sept. 9.
