Jury selection is set to begin in Los Angeles federal court for Hunter Biden’s trial on tax-related charges. Prosecutors allege he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 to 2019, spending the money on drugs, escorts, and luxury items instead. The trial is expected to include embarrassing details about Biden’s drug use and spending habits. His defense argues that details of his lifestyle are irrelevant to the charges. Prosecutors also claim Biden filed fraudulent tax returns, falsely claiming personal expenses as business deductions. Biden’s attorney sought to introduce evidence of past traumas that may have contributed to his addiction issues, but the judge denied the request. Biden was convicted of possession of a gun while using narcotics earlier this year in a separate case in Delaware. He has pleaded not guilty to the tax-related charges and plans to appeal the gun possession conviction. The trial is expected to last about two weeks and involves more than two dozen witnesses. Special counsel David Weiss is leading the prosecution, and former President Donald Trump appointed him. Biden’s sentencing for the gun possession conviction is set for November.
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