Hunter Biden faces possible jail time in Arkansas child support battle

An Arkansas judge has ordered Hunter Biden to appear in court in person in July to face possible contempt proceedings and even potential jail time for allegedly concealing his finances in the child support battle against the mother of one of his children.

Judge Holly Lodge Meyer, who is handling Hunter Biden’s child support case in Arkansas, issued an order Monday saying President Joe Biden’s son must appear on July 10 at the Independence County Courthouse in Batesville to explain “why he should not be held in contempt” after lawyers for Lunden Alexis Roberts, the mother of Hunter Biden’s child, argued that Hunter Biden was ignoring the judge’s May order to hand over information on his finances.

INFLATION ISSUE STILL LOOMS FOR BIDEN

The judge said the lawyers for Roberts were seeking, and she would herself consider, “punishment or sanctions” against Hunter Biden, including “incarceration for civil contempt until such time as the defendant fully answers discovery for a period of up to six months” and “incarceration for criminal contempt for a period of up to six months.”

Meyer added that Hunter Biden “is hereby given notice that his ‘ability to pay’ is or may become a critical issue in the contempt proceeding” and that the president’s son “will have an opportunity at the hearing to respond to statements and questions about his financial status.” The judge added that Hunter Biden “is subject to an express finding by the court that he has the ability to pay.”

The child, Navy Joan Roberts, was born in Arkansas in August 2018. The child was conceived while Hunter was in a relationship with Hallie Biden, his deceased brother Beau Biden’s widow, and the child has been living with her mother. Joe Biden has repeatedly ignored the existence of his granddaughter in public statements while president.

Hunter Biden had initially denied paternity and any memory of meeting the mother at the Mpire Club in the nation’s capital, but the judge said in January 2020 that the court “finds the results of the DNA tests indicate with near scientific certainty that the defendant is the biological father of the child in this case.” Hunter settled with Roberts for $2.5 million in 2020, but the case was later reopened, and the president’s son is engaged in an Arkansas court battle to lower his payments.

Clinton Lancaster, a lawyer for Roberts, filed the motion for sanctions and contempt with the court in May, arguing that “the defendant was ordered to do something, and he did not” and “that is a habit and a game for Mr. Biden.”

“Right now, Mr. Biden does not want to disclose his income and assets, says that he is somewhat financially destitute, while he lives on a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, has Secret Service protection, and enjoys his time abroad (which he has also lied about in discovery),” Lancaster added in May.

In December 2022, lawyers for Roberts filed to change the surname of her 4-year-old daughter to “Biden” and argued the Biden name is “now synonymous with being well educated, successful, financially acute, and politically powerful.” Hunter Biden’s lawyers have sought to block his daughter from taking on the family’s last name.

Lancaster wrote in May that “either the plaintiff can get discovery to prove that she is entitled to a name change and the continued support of her child that the defendant disowns, or the defendant can avoid it all by playing hide the ball.”

Meyer said Monday that one of the sanctions she was considering was striking Hunter Biden’s legal filings fighting the name change.

The judge ruled in May that Roberts and Joe Biden’s son will need to sit for depositions in June, when Hunter will need to answer detailed questions about his income.

Hunter Biden has been ordered to answer inquiries about the current state of his finances, including all of his investments, his art sales, and other relevant financial transactions.

Hunter Biden’s 10% ownership stake in a Chinese government-linked investment firm has apparently been transferred to his Hollywood lawyer “sugar brother,” who paid off millions of dollars of Hunter Biden’s back taxes, company records indicate.

Kevin Morris, a close Hunter Biden confidante, appears to be the current owner of Skaneateles, an LLC started by the younger Biden which held Hunter’s 10% share in Bohai Harvest RST (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund Management Company, or BHR. Representatives for Hunter Biden said last year that he had paid off a roughly $2 million past-due tax bill. He allegedly did so by taking out a massive loan from Morris, who has been helping with shaping his media narrative and his legal strategies.

Hunter Biden revealed he was under federal investigation for his taxes shortly after the 2020 election. Republicans have long contended Hunter Biden’s lucrative business dealings in Ukraine and China indicate he may have committed crimes related to foreign lobbying or money laundering, although multiple recent reports have indicated U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump-appointed holdover and the Delaware prosecutor overseeing the case, may have narrowed his focus to Hunter Biden potentially committing tax fraud and lying on a federal gun form when purchasing a revolver.

IRS whistleblowers have come forward to allege the investigation has been mishandled and politicized.

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Although Hunter Biden appeared in the Arkansas town courtroom in May at the judge’s orders, he did not speak. A trial to figure out whether what he owes can be adjusted is scheduled for July.

Hunter Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell told the court in May that Joe Biden’s son was currently paying $20,000 per month in child support, with the attorney adding that Hunter Biden had already paid $750,000 in child support thus far.