Hunter Biden has settled his child support case, with the Arkansas woman that he fathered a 4-year-old child with, while in the throes of his drug addiction. Less than two weeks after the president’s son agreed to take a plea deal in a separate federal case against him, this puts an end to another legal dispute.
His finalized paternity agreement with, his former mistress, Lunden Roberts, specifies the use of his “paintings” as a means to pay at least some of his child support. This looks to be a raw deal for the child to be sure.
Reportedly Hunter Biden’s paternity agreement states:
“Defendant additionally agrees that he shall assign to the child [redacted] of his paintings over the next [redacted] which shall vary in size with a minimum size of 24×24. The child shall select the painting which shall either be sent to the child or sent to a gallery designated by Lunden Roberts. The net proceeds of any sales of paintings shall be wired to an account designated by Lunden Roberts.”
-Hunter Biden’s Paternity Agreement
A Senate subcommittee report detailed in 2020 how the art market serves as a vehicle for money laundering,
…“[Reportedly,] “while the art market is not regulated by the Bank Secrecy Act’s (“BSA”) requirements, it is governed by unwritten rules. A large number of art sales happen through intermediaries referred to as “art advisors” who can represent both purchasers and sellers. In a typical transaction, a purchaser may not ask who owns the piece of art they are purchasing; the seller may not ask for whom it is being purchased or the origin of the money. And in general an art advisor would be reluctant to reveal the identity of their client for fear of being cut out of the deal and losing the business….”
“While the four biggest auction houses have voluntary anti-money laundering (“AML”) programs, the employees who facilitated art purchases in the Subcommittee’s case study said they never asked the art advisor the identity of his client. Instead, the auction houses considered the art advisor the principal purchaser and performed any due diligence on the art advisor, even when it was well-known that the ultimate owner was someone else….”
“When a piece of art is sold, there is no legal requirement for the selling party to confirm the identity of the buyer or that the buyer is not laundering money through the purchase. With regard to the funds used to purchase art, the auction houses told the Subcommittee they rely on financial institutions to ensure the integrity of the funds, even though the auction houses interact directly with the buyer.”…
-Senate subcommittee report
Hence, anonymity, secrecy, and a lack of regulation create an environment ripe for laundering money and evading sanctions. Hunter it would seem has been trying to cash in on his infamous, scandal-ridden history, by using an unregulated market. In a shady industry, without such notoriety, Hunter Biden’s art would be worth virtually nothing and his daughter would be the recipient of a very raw deal, especially with no one seeking to launder money through the purchase of her father’s paintings.
According to the Washington Post, Hunter Biden anonymously sold about 12 paintings for less than $500,000. It is unclear how much money the art generated at the sale, but estimates suggest he earned at least five times more than the average American artist as a novice painter.
His daughter would also see no-where near that level of income, from the sale of any his paintings. Hunter is basically, hoping to inflate the value of these paintings, without regard for what he knows they are really worth. How any father could treat his own flesh and blood with so little regard, demonstrates the selfish person, that Hunter Biden is. This little girl deserves better.
“Real dads support their children without the law telling them they have to.”
-Anonymous