Hunter Biden accused of accepting payments from Romanian businessman
Hunter Biden, son of US president Joe Biden, was recently accused by US prosecutors of accepting payments from Romanian businessman Gabriel Popoviciu, who sought to "influence US government agencies" in connection with a criminal probe in Romania.
According to the prosecutors cited by ABC News, Gabriel Popoviciu, allegedly named “G.P.” in the charges, hired Hunter Biden for legal work in late 2015 when Joe Biden was vice president. The same source mentions that “G.P.” faced bribery charges in Romania. Until 2017, Hunter and two business partners allegedly split USD 3 million from Popoviciu.
Hunter Biden is on trial on tax evasion charges and is scheduled to make an appearance on September 9 in a Los Angeles federal court. He has pleaded not guilty.
In the filing, prosecutors also said they plan to present evidence that Hunter Biden and a business associate "received compensation from a foreign principal who was attempting to influence US policy and public opinion and cause the United States to investigate the Romanian investigation of G.P. in Romania." Hunter also sought to conceal his work for G.P.
A federal grand jury charged Hunter Biden last December with failing to pay USD 1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019, while spending millions of dollars on drugs and various high-ticket items, according to Reuters.
The president's son was also charged with evading the assessment of taxes for the 2018 tax year when he filed false returns. He faces three felony charges and additional misdemeanor counts. Separately, Hunter Biden was convicted in June for lying about illegal drug use when he bought a handgun in 2018. He has not yet been sentenced.
The White House declined to comment on the recent accusations.
Gabriel “Puiu” Popoviciu was sentenced to seven years in jail in Romania and is currently in the United Kingdom. The latter refused to extradite Popoviciu to Romania, citing the possibility that his trial was unfair. Last month, however, the Bucharest Court of Appeal annulled the seven-year prison sentence and ordered the acquittal of the businessman.
(Photo source: Paul Brady | Dreamstime.com)
