Hunter Biden trial highlights: FBI agent testifies about Hunter Biden's drug use and large cash withdrawals (2024)

Court wraps for the day

Lowell started his cross-examination by going through Hunter Biden’s text exchanges with drug dealers. Lowell asked Jensen the dates of those texts — she said the majority of them were in Jan. 2019 and the following months.

So these exchanges were months after the gun sale, Lowell asked? Yes, Jensen confirmed.

Lowell also appeared to be trying to draw the jury’s attention to times in Hunter’s life that he wasn’t using drugs. The excerpts you selected reflected the “periods” of time when Hunter was using crack, there were also periods where he wasn’t using, Lowell said.

Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

The prosecution ended its questioning of Erika Jensen, the FBI agent. Hunter Biden's lawyer Abbe Lowell began cross-examining her around 4 p.m. ET.

Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

The prosecution then displayed a video from December, obtained from Hunter’s phone, showing a shirtless Hunter Biden holding what Jensen identified as a crack pipe.

Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

Hines also read through messages between Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden on Oct. 23, 2018, the day she discovered the gun.

“Did you take that from me…are you insane?” asked Hunter. “This is no game. And you’re being totally irresponsible and unhinged.” In later messages he added “tell me now” and “this is very very serious." Hallie responded, “Call me!!!!”

Lowell objected to Hines’ reading of messages from Hallie Biden when she is set to testify herself, but Noreika overruled Lowell’s objection.

Prosecutor Derek Hines displayed a message that Hunter Biden allegedly sent to Hallie Biden, his late brother Beau Biden's widow, on Oct. 13, 2018, that indicated he was “waiting for a dealer” in Wilmington.

In another message the following day, Hunter Biden allegedly said he was sleeping in a car smoking crack.

The defense said earlier that Hunter Biden would lie to Hallie Biden, with whom he had a relationship after Beau Biden's death, about his whereabouts because he didn’t want to see her.

Hines brought up emails between the gun shop and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regarding Hunter Biden’s background check.

As part of this section, the prosecutor introduced the form that Hunter Biden filled out when he purchased a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018. Hines showed the jury a magnified view of question 11E, in which Hunter Biden marked "No" with an X, indicating he was not using illegal drugs when he bought the revolver. A response from the ATF confirmed that Hunter Biden passed the background check.

Jurors were also shown a copy of the receipt for the gun sale from StarQuest Shooters and Survival Supply. Hunter Biden’s total purchase came to $886.81, which he paid with $900 cash.

Hines also introduced a cash withdrawal slip from Oct. 12, 2018 — the day of the gun purchase — for $5,000.

Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

Through Jensen, the FBI agent, prosecutors entered bank statements from September, October and November 2018 into evidence. The bank statements listed cash withdrawals across three accounts: Hunter Biden’s personal account, Owasco LLC, and another account associated with Owasco.

These bank statements, Jensen said, indicated that there were large cash withdrawals nearly every day of September, October and November 2018, totaling $151,640.45.

“That was almost $50,000 a month in cash withdrawals?” Hines asked Jensen. Jensen responded affirmatively.

The prosecution entered into evidence several invoices from “The View,” a Detox Center in Southern California. The invoices amounted to 12 days of stabilization services and sober companionship at the end of August and early September 2018.

Prosecutor Derek Hines noted that this was 40 days before Hunter Biden's gun purchase. Hines also noted Hunter Biden said in his audiobook, “I stayed clean for about two weeks.”

Hines then entered into evidence an Alaska Airlines subpoena response, indicating Hunter Biden flew from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) on the evening of Oct. 5, landing in Philadelphia early on Oct. 6.

Hines noted this was one week before the gun purchase. Prosecutors played another recording from Hunter Biden’s “Beautiful Things," from the chapter “Lost Highway.” In the book, Hunter Biden says he was coming back to the East Coast "with the hope of getting clean.”

Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

FBI agent Erika Jensen is continuing to be used as a vehicle to introduce evidence, including text messages from Hunter Biden’s laptop.

“I am so sorry,” Zoe Kestan texted Hunter Biden and in an apparent reference to drug paraphernalia. “Is there anywhere else to get Brillo Pads?” Kestan was also asking Hunter Biden for money. “I need more Chore boy but regardless come back and yes,” Hunter Biden responded over text.

Jensen, the FBI agent on the witness stand, proceeded to walk through with Hines a series of messages between Hunter Biden and people the prosecution identified as drug dealers from April 2018 through July 2018. Several of those messages appeared to be coordinating meetups with those drug dealers.

One exchange on WhatsApp included photos between Hunter Biden and an account with the name “Clifford O’Brien.” One photo sent from Biden's phone showed white powder on a scale. Biden then complained that he was being ripped off with a 60% markup, while Clifford O’Brien defended himself by saying he always had Biden's back, referring to him as “family.”

Another meetup was with a dealer known as “Killa Cam.”

The last exchange from this chunk of messages included an apparent deal arrangement with a dealer named Michael, for 10 grams for $600.

Jensen told the prosecution that there were 18,000 pages of messages, photos and videos contained in the PDF file summarizing the data they obtained from the phone, tablet and laptop. All of that was given to the defense.

A much smaller share — 75 pages — of messages relevant to this trial is included in a summary chart that the government is introducing as Exhibit 18.

Those 75 pages, Jensen says, contain evidence of Hunter Biden’s drug addiction, drug use and possession of a firearm. The chart is being displayed for the jurors without objection from the defense.

The chart contains messages and data obtained from the search warrant for iCloud data obtained from Apple and from the laptop.

Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

Prosecutor Derek Hines introduced the laptop to the jury, drawing excited whispers from the gallery, though it's not clear that any of the jurors understood the significance of Hunter’s laptop.

Hines handed FBI agent Jensen the physical laptop (a Macbook Pro 13) in an evidence bag and asked her to explain how the FBI authenticated the laptop and extracted Hunter’s data. The data — WhatsApp messages, iMessages and text messages — contained evidence of Hunter’s addiction, she said.

Hunter’s wife, Melissa Cohen-Biden, began shaking her head as soon as Hines held up the laptop and at times exchanged whispers with lawyer Kevin Morris, seated next to her. She continued to shake her head as Jensen explained how the FBI extracted data from the laptop and what the data showed.

Hines also introduced as evidence an emailed invoice for $85 that Hunter had received from The Mac Shop, the repair shop where he dropped off the laptop.

Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

Hunter Biden’s laptop, the one of much discussion and controversy that was obtained via FBI subpoena from “The Mac Shop,” was handed to witness FBI agent Erika Jensen. Jensen confirmed its authenticity.

“This is the laptop that was recovered from the computer store,” she said. When asked how she was able to confirm the laptop's authenticity, Jensen said the serial number on the back of the laptop matches the serial number provided in Apple Inc.’s subpoena response for records.

Jensen appeared to be making a point of looking at the jury while she explained the concept of iCloud data and how the FBI obtains the data via warrants. The jurors appeared engaged — a few were taking notes, but most simply listened. Hunter was wearing glasses and appeared to be taking notes when not whispering with his lawyers.

The laptop is the subject of the lawsuit Hunter Biden filed against Garrett Ziegler, the former Trump aide who attended court today. In his lawsuit, Hunter Biden accused Ziegler and his company of breaking multiple laws in an effort to create an online database of 128,000 emails attributed to Biden.

Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

The trial resumed at 2 p.m., following a lunch break.

Prosecutors are continuing with the FBI agent's testimony about the audiobook excerpts. We are on Chapter 9 currently.