Judge tells Hunter he has to look for a JOB as part of the conditions of his release: President’s son is told to refrain from drugs and alcohol and ‘actively seek employment’ while he waits for new plea deal to be approved
- Hunter’s court appearance spiraled into chaos after first plea deal fell apart
- U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned the terms of the agreement
- It meant he had to plead not guilty and wait for another plea deal
The judge who blew up Hunter Biden’s plea deal on Wednesday told the noted artist and former Ukrainian energy executive that he must look for a job as part of the conditions of his release.
Biden appeared in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, for what had expected to be little more than a formality after he accepted a plea deal last month settling tax and gun charges.
But the agreement collapsed under the scrutiny of Judge Maryellen Noreika.
Instead, the 53-year-old son of the president pleaded not guilty to the charges and must now wait for a new deal over his failure to pay taxes and lying about a drug addiction when he bought a gun.
In the meantime, he was allowed to go free so long as he stays away from drink, submits to drug tests when requested, and informs the court of any changes of address.
As a condition of his release, Judge Maryellen Noreika said Wednesday that Hunter Biden must look for work, as well as stay away from all alcohol and drugs
Biden was released from court according to a series of standard conditions
The court order, signed by Biden and the judge, also requires that he ‘continues or actively seeks employment.’
Biden has a varied employment history.
After graduating from Yale Law School in 1996 he joined a bank holding company, M.B.N.A.
After a stint at the Department of Commerce he was taken on as a consultant by M.B.N.A., at a time when his father was helping the credit card industry win passage of a law making it harder for consumers to file for bankruptcy protection – an issue that raised red flags for Barack Obama’s campaign when it vetted his father for vice president.
He went into business with his uncle James in 2006, when they bought international hedge fund Paradigm Global Advisers.
And in 2008, soon before his father became vice president, he launched a consultancy company, Seneca Global Advisors, that adviser companies looking to expand overseas.
This period is under intense scrutiny by Republicans who believe he cashed in on his father’s position. He joined the board of a China-based private equity fund and the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
At the same time, he was struggling with drink and drug addictions. And emails recovered from his laptop revealed he had mounting debts and unpaid taxes.
In 2020, it emerged that Biden had embarked on a new career. Some of his paintings have been listed for sale at $500,000 despite being the work of a new painter
In 2020, newly sober, it emerged he had embarked on a new career: Artist. Some of his larger scale works have been listed for sale at $500,000 but that only generated new controversies, amid questions about whether deep-pocketed buyers might think they were buying White House favors.
Details of his release and the job hunt emerged after a dramatic twist in his legal fortunes.
Biden had arrived at federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, expecting to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and walk away with a slap on the wrist.
But in a stunning turn of events, the first agreement unraveled and the latest plea deal over his failure to pay taxes and lying about his crack cocaine addiction when he bought a gun was put on hold.
Hunter initially said ‘yes, your honor’ when asked by the judge if he would plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and admitted he’s been to rehab six times in 20 years for addiction to alcohol and drugs.
The hearing then turned when the Department of Justice lawyers warned Hunter he could still be charged for potential violations for failing to register as a foreign agent over his shady deals – which Republicans say involve his father Joe.
At that news – delivered by top prosecutor Leo Wise – Hunter’s attorney Chris Clark snapped that the deal was ‘null and void’.
Hunter Biden could be on the hook for more criminal charges related to his business deals with China and Ukraine after prosecutors and his legal team negotiated a limited new plea deal – because their first agreement sensationally collapsed
There were signs of trouble from the get-go, when U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika allowed she had ‘concerns about the diversion agreement.’
She asked Wise if he had ever seen a diversion agreement ‘so broad that it encompasses crimes in a different case.’
‘What happens if I reject this plea?’ she asked. ‘I don’t mean to violate the separation of powers or do anything (un)constitutional.’
When she pressed the parties on areas of confusion, Clark said he didn’t agree with the government’s characterization.
‘Then there’s no deal,’ Wise said in court.
‘As far as I’m concerned the agreement’s null and void,’ Clark weighed in.
That set off another round of talks after the judge agreed to give them more time, with the government and Team Hunter getting behind it once again.
The case unraveled after a dramatic 24 hours in which Hunter’s attorneys were threatened with sanctions over an alleged prank call to remove bombshell testimony from an IRS whistleblower from the docket.
His lawyers claimed it was a simple mistake.
But the matter put the judge in a fighting mood, and she demanded Hunter’s team provide an explanation by 9pm Tuesday night. The incident did not come up in open court Monday.
At the start of the sensational hearing, Hunter stepped out of a motorcade in silence with a police escort and walked across the sidewalk alongside his legal team and surrounded by Secret Service agents.
He walked into the federal court in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, alongside his ‘sugar brother’ and lawyer Kevin Morris – who was seen smoking a bong during a visit from the president’s son last week.
Hunter walked into the federal court in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, alongside his ‘sugar brother’ and lawyer Kevin Morris (left) – who was seen smoking a bong during a visit from the president’s son last week
Hunter revealed to the judge that he was first treated for alcohol abuse in 2003 and was last in an in-patient facility in 2018.
He then insisted he’s been sober since 2019 when warned he faced random drug testing under the conditions of his release.
But in one potentially damaging admission under questioning by the judge, he admitted he was sober when he filed his 2019 return. For his 2017 and 2018, he said he was in the throes of addiction, which he acknowledged in his autobiography.
Prosecutors had recommended probation for Hunter for not paying between $1.1 million and $1.5 million in federal taxes in 2017 and 2018, despite his substantial income from Ukrainian and Chinese energy companies.
They also scolded him for continuing to ‘spend wildly’ on his lavish lifestyle while he had the funds to pay back what he owed.
He could have faced up to 12 months in prison for the tax crimes, and ten years for lying about his crack cocaine addiction on a federal form when buying a gun.
But the agreement sparked fury from Republicans who demanded the judge block it.
The deal had also been under intense scrutiny over the bombshell testimony from the whistleblowers claiming he got preferential treatment during the five-year investigation from U.S. Attorney David Weiss.
Former IRS and FBI agents had come forward to claim they were blocked from conducting a proper investigation into Hunter.
They also alleged that senior officials tipped off Secret Service agents that they wanted to interview the president’s son.
The president’s scandal-hit son said ‘yes, your honor’ when asked by the judge if he was going to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors, and admitted he’s been to rehab six times in 20 years for addiction to drinking and drugs
Kevin Morris, the lawyer who helped Hunter pay off $2million in delinquent taxes, walks behind the president’s son on the way into the courthouse
Law enforcement secure the area outside the federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, ahead of Hunter Biden’s court appearance on Wednesday
Hunter allegedly lied on a firearm report (above) required for his gun transaction. A photo of the form shows he answered ‘no’ when asked if he was an ‘unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance
Last Thursday, Hunter’s attorney Kevin Morris was seen smoking from a bong in public view. He has been revealed as one of the buyers of Hunter’s artwork
The night before his hearing, Hunter flew alongside Morris in a private jet from Los Angeles to Philadelphia.
That same evening, Judge Noreika was at the center of drama after she threatened Hunter’s lawyers with sanctions.
But Hunter’s lawyers blamed allegations they conspired to a lie simply to an ‘unfortunate misunderstanding’.
A picture from Hunter Biden’s leaked hard drive shows him posing naked while holding a semi-automatic handgun by his side
‘The matter under consideration appears to stem from an unfortunate and unintentional miscommunication between a staff member at our firm and employees of the Court. We have no idea how the misunderstanding occurred, but our understanding is there was no misrepresentation,’ Matthew Salerno wrote to Judge Noreika on Tuesday evening.
He claimed that Jessica Bengels, the Latham staffer accused of pretending to be from another law firm, has a phone number which should show up as ‘LATHAM’ on the clerk’s caller ID, indicating she was calling from the legal firm Latham & Watkins.
Salerno attached an affidavit from Bengels, in which she claimed she initially called a court clerk called ‘Julia’, from her Latham phone, identified herself truthfully, but was later called back by a different clerk, Samantha.
‘At around 11.54am, another Court employee called my Latham & Watkins phone number (which I believe she knew through caller ID) to let me know she would be removing the material from the docket,’ Bengels wrote. ‘She did not ask which law firm I was affiliated with, and at no time during this call did I mention anything about my law firm affiliation.
‘I believe there may have been some confusion when Julia passed the information on to the other Court employee, resulting in a mistaken understanding that I had called from Mr. Kittila’s firm.
‘I am completely confident that I never indicated that I was calling from Mr. Kittila’s firm or that I worked with him in any way.’
She was referring to Theodore Kittila, the attorney representing the GOP House Ways and Means Committee.
Hunter Biden’s many controversies have been a headache for his father’s presidential term and could be weaponized by Republicans in the 2024 race. The president and his son are pictured together in August 2022
The misdemeanor charges Hunter is facing stem from the unpaid taxes, and lying about his drug use when he bought a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver in October 2018.
Delaware, where the First Son purchased the 0.38 caliber pistol, makes any buyer answer a series of questions before they can lay their hands on a weapon.
One from the 2018 application asks if the applicant uses or is addicted to drugs. The box is clearly checked ‘no.’
When Hunter was first charged, the president and first lady said they were ‘proud’ of him.
However, the White House has avoided discussing Hunter’s legal troubles by claiming he is a private citizen or referring questions to the Department of Justice.
His lawyer Christopher Clark said last month: ‘I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life.
‘He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.’
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