The legal team of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter may face sanctions after allegations of misconduct in the ongoing criminal tax case were made.
Hunter Biden is expected to plead guilty Wednesday before Delaware District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika as part of a plea deal offered by prosecutors to settle two felony tax charges.
Prosecutors recommend probation for the younger Biden in their plea offer.
Prior to the plea hearing, Jessica Bengels, a member of the legal team, contacted the court clerk’s office about the case and allegedly misrepresented herself and who she worked for.
“It appears that the caller misrepresented her identity and who she worked for in an attempt to improperly convince the clerk’s office to remove the amicus materials from the docket,” Noreika said.
“The Court will temporarily place the document under seal until close of business on July 26, 2023 to afford Defendant the opportunity to try to make the requisite showing,” the order read. “Should Defendant fail to make that showing, the document will be unsealed in its entirety.”
The staff member is accused of lying to a court clerk in order to get a Tuesday filing about alleged political interference in the probe removed from the court docket, according to a CNN report.
Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), a House Ways and Means Committee member who has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration, made the filing Bengels sought to remove.
The filing involved an amicus brief in which Smith’s office outlined information from two IRS whistleblowers.
Both whistleblowers claimed the IRS gave preferential treatment in its probe into the president’s son’s finances.
A source close to the case told Fox News that Smith’s office received a phone call from a court clerk who alleged they had been misled by Biden’s counsel.
Biden’s legal team told the judge the staffer who called the clerk accurately represented her affiliation with her law firm, according to a letter reviewed by Fox News.
“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,” the defense lawyers explained.
“We have no idea how the misunderstanding occurred, but our understanding is there was no misrepresentation.”
When queried by Fox News, a court official said that the removal of such a brief from the court docket was indeed a rare occurrence.
The official stated the court ordered the document to be refiled and set for a hearing to discuss possible sanctions against Biden’s counsel for the alleged misrepresentation.
Hunter Biden is set to plead guilty to federal tax misdemeanors, stemming from the nonpayment of taxes on time in 2017 and 2018.
As part of his plea deal, he is expected to resolve a felony gun charge.
Original Article: https://resistthemainstream.com/judge-threatens-hunter-bidens-legal-team-with-sanctions-after-lying-accusations-surface/
