Hunter Biden, the son of United States President Joe Biden, is facing nine counts of tax-related crimes, with allegations of failing to pay $1.4 million in owed taxes to the government.
According to court documents filed in a Los Angeles court on Thursday, Biden is accused of not filing and paying taxes, evading tax assessment, and submitting a false or fraudulent tax return.
The indictment suggests that Biden engaged in a four-year scheme spanning tax years 2016 through 2019, during which he purportedly avoided paying the assessed federal taxes while leading an extravagant lifestyle.
The indictment says the president’s son allegedly spent his money on “drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes”.
His spending amounted to about $1m in 2016, $1.4m in 2017, $1.8m in 2018, and $600,000 in 2019, according to the charge sheet.
Between 2016-19, he withdrew $1.6m from cash machines alone.
In the same period he spent over $683,000 on “payments – various women”, another $188,960 on “adult entertainment”, $397,530 on clothing and accessories, and $237,496 on health, beauty and pharmacy, prosecutors say.
They list many of the luxury hotels Hunter Biden stayed in during the years that he chose to not maintain a residence. Most were in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington DC.
He used the hotels “for constant partying”, prosecutors say.
Other funds went to hire a Lamborghini, which he used after moving to the West Coast while waiting for his Porsche to be shipped to him.
Payments included $1,500 to an exotic dancer at a strip club, $11,500 for an “escort” who was paid “to spend two nights with him”, $27,316 in payments to an online pornography website and $10,000 “to purchase a membership in a sex club”.
If found guilty, Hunter Biden could face a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison. This marks the second criminal case brought against him by David Weiss, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee investigations into the president’s son.
The charges add to the legal challenges Hunter Biden is already facing, including three firearms-related charges to which he pleaded not guilty last month.
Previously, there was a plea deal in Delaware, where Biden agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges and enter a diversion program rather than facing a more serious gun possession charge. However, the recent indictment in California complicates the legal landscape for Hunter Biden.
The case could also have political implications, potentially affecting President Biden’s 2024 reelection bid. Republicans have raised concerns about Hunter Biden’s business dealings and consulting work in foreign countries, alleging that he improperly used his father’s position to gain financial benefits.
