This was published 1 year ago
Hunter Biden charged with nine criminal counts of tax evasion
By Costas Pitas and Dan Whitcomb
Washington: US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has been charged with engaging in a four-year scheme to avoid paying some $US1.4 million ($2.2 million) in taxes while spending millions of dollars on a lavish lifestyle, the Justice Department said.
Hunter Biden was charged with a total of nine criminal counts – three felony tax offences and six misdemeanour tax offences – and faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison if convicted, according to an indictment filed in US District Court in Central California.
The legal clouds hanging over Hunter Biden come as President Joe Biden is looking to run for the White House again.Credit: AP
The department said its investigation into Biden was ongoing.
“The defendant engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019,” the indictment read.
It added that he had “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills”.
A spokesperson for Special Counsel David Weiss and a lawyer for Hunter Biden did not immediately reply for requests for comment.
The indictment stated that Hunter Biden had “earned handsomely” while serving on the boards of a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate and a Chinese private equity fund.
But his expenditures increased as his income increased, according to the charges.
In 2018 alone, the indictment read, Hunter Biden “spent more than $US1.8 million, including approximately $US772,000 in cash withdrawals, approximately $US383,000 in payments to women, approximately $US151,000 in clothing and accessories” among other expenditures.
The indictment added: “The Defendant did not use any of these funds to pay his taxes in 2018.”
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in October to charges that he lied about his drug use while buying a handgun, in the first criminal prosecution of a sitting US president’s child.
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, centre, arrives to federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, in October.Credit: Bloomberg
Weiss brought those charges against Hunter Biden after an earlier proposed plea deal unravelled under questioning from a judge. Weiss is still investigating whether the younger Biden can be charged for tax law violations.
The special counsel investigating Hunter has employed a grand jury in Los Angeles to seek documents and possible testimony from multiple witnesses as part of the federal investigation of Hunter Biden’s business dealings, CNN reported last month.
Defence lawyers have signalled they plan to fight any new charges, though they did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The White House also declined to comment on the indictment, referring questions to the Justice Department or Hunter Biden’s personal representatives.
Congressional Republicans have also pursued an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, claiming he was engaged in an influence-peddling scheme with his son. The House is expected to vote next week on formally authorising the inquiry.
While questions have arisen about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business, no evidence has emerged so far to prove that Joe Biden, in his current or previous office, abused his role or accepted bribes.
Reuters, AP