DOJ goes after Hunter Biden for ties to Romanian oligarch after Joe Biden drops out of presidential race

In court documents filed by special counsel David Weiss in the Central District of California on Wednesday, prosecutors alleged that Hunter Biden, while his father was vice president, was paid by a Romanian oligarch to "influence US policy and public opinion." The new allegations come after Biden as dropped out of the race, and after lawmakers have raised numerous alarms over the issue of Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings.

Gabriel Popoviciu, a Romanian businessman, is expected to testify against Hunter Biden in his California tax trial, according to Fox News. The trial is set to begin on September 5 in Los Angeles.

Weiss wrote in the filings that Hunter Biden had "entered into an oral agreement" to help Popoviciu in 2015 contest bribery charges brought against him in Romania.

Prosecutors said they will "introduce the evidence described above, including that [Hunter Biden] and Business Associate 1 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 [Popoviciu] in Romania" at the trial.

Weiss alleged that Hunter Biden and his business associate "were concerned that lobbying work might cause political ramifications for [Hunter Biden's] father [Joe Biden]."

"Business Associate 1 and [Popoviciu] signed a 'Management Services Agreement' where Business Associate 1’s legal entity would purportedly provide management services to real estate properties in Romania, but that was not actually what [Popoviciu] was paying for," the document stated.

Weiss noted that Hunter Biden’s counsel had asked that allegations about his client possibly violating FARA, or the Foreign Agents Registration Act, be dismissed by the court.

"The government does not intend to reference allegations that the defendant violated FARA or improperly coordinated with the Obama Administration," Weiss wrote, adding that, however, the government "will introduce evidence that Business Associate 1 structured a business relationship in an effort to avoid having to register as a foreign agent, and that the defendant and his business partners did reach out to government officials, specifically the United States Department of State."

Prosecutors alleged that Hunter Biden and two business associates received over $3 million in payments from Popoviciu, which they split, between November 2015 and 2017.

Hunter Biden has been charged with failing to pay over $1.4 million in taxes spanning a period of 2016 to 2019, and also filing false tax returns/ he has since paid the taxes, but has been charged with three felonies and six misdemeanors in the case.

The filings came around three weeks after Joe Biden announced that he would not be seeking reelection. GOP-led House committees, meanwhile, have been investigating Hunter Biden’s overseas dealings, revealing how Hunter Biden, his family members, and business partners received millions of dollars from overseas.

A timeline released by the House Oversight Committee noted Hunter Biden’s relationship with Popovicu, stating that he "began depositing a Biden associate’s bank account, which ultimately made their way into Biden family accounts" around five weeks after Vice President Biden received Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at the White House.

A total of 16 payments totaling over $3 million were deposited, with family accounts associated with the Biden family receiving around $1.038 million. The committee noted that Hunter himself visited Romania in November of 2015.