Federal prosecutors investigating Hunter Biden subpoenaed documents from his paternity lawsuit, including the first son's "income, assets, debts, obligations, and financial transactions… and all personal and business expenditures," according to CBS News, citing documents and an attorney involved in the matter.
"They wanted every record relating to Hunter Biden we had," said attorney Clint Lancaster, who represented the mother of Hunter's child, Lunden Roberts.
Roberts testified before a Delaware grand jury in February, Lancaster added.The subpoena, issued in December 2020 by US Attorney David C. Weiss, requested material from January 2017 to the present, and requested a wide range of tax documents.
"All federal, state, local and foreign tax documentation related to Biden," reads the subpoena. "including but not limited to, IRS Forms 1099, income and payroll tax returns, state tax returns, and amended tax returns."
While the request is nearly 18 months old, it offers a glimpse into the long-running investigation into Hunter and his business dealings - all stemming from a probe that started out as a tax inquiry several years ago.
Lancaster told CBS News that in the fall of 2021, the Assistant U.S. Attorney in Delaware, Lesley Wolf, traveled to his Arkansas law office, joined by at least two federal agents, one from the FBI and the other an IRS enforcement agent. Lancaster said he and his client spent about half a day answering questions about Hunter Biden and his business practices.
Lancaster said that in the meeting, investigators asked for information about several companies affiliated with Hunter Biden, including Rosemont Seneca Partners, a firm where he worked for several years. -CBS News
The December 2020 subpoena is similar to a 2019 order obtained by CBS News, which sought "all records, documents and accounts pertaining to all financial/banking transactions" between Hunter Biden, the president's brother James, two business partners dating back to 2014 (when Joe Biden was VP), and 15 business entities.
According to Lancaster, Hunter provided an "affidavit of financial means" during the paternity suit, which detailed his finances via income statements as well as a breakdown of monthly expenses. The records overlapped with Hunter's foreign business dealings.
Hunter, meanwhile, was confirmed "with scientific certainty" to be the father of Roberts' child, who is believed to be around 3 years old today, while the paternity case was settled in 2020. Several records in the case are under seal.
"The whole thing is as serious as a heart attack," said Harry Litmann, a two-decade DOJ veteran, including as a US Attorney. "People are going in and out of the grand jury. They are trying to plumb the depths. They're playing hardball."