Hunter Biden set to face tax-fraud charges in California courtroom
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[January 11, 2024]
By Chris Kirkham
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden is
due in a Los Angeles federal court on Thursday, where he is expected to
plead not guilty to tax charges stemming from business dealings that
have also prompted an impeachment probe of his father.
Hunter Biden, 53, stands criminally accused of failing to pay $1.4
million in taxes between 2016 and 2019, while spending millions of
dollars on drugs, escorts, exotic cars and other high-ticket items.
He faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted. Biden's lawyer Abbe
Lowell has said he has paid his back taxes and is being persecuted
because of his famous last name.
He is due to appear in court at 1 p.m. Pacific time (2100 GMT).
The president's son, who has publicly discussed his substance abuse, has
never held a position in the White House or on his father's campaign. He
also has pleaded not guilty in a separate federal case in Delaware in
which he is charged with lying about his illegal drug use when he bought
a gun. Those charges carry up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Both cases were brought by federal prosecutor David Weiss, who has been
investigating him since 2019 and was last year elevated to the status of
special prosecutor. A federal judge rejected a proposed plea deal last
summer. The Justice Department has said the investigation into Hunter
Biden is ongoing.
U.S. House of Representatives Republicans are pushing to hold Hunter
Biden in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify behind closed
doors in their impeachment inquiry of his father. That has the potential
to trigger more criminal charges.
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![](../images/011124PIX/news_t20.jpg)
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, is seen as he makes a
surprise appearance at a House Oversight Committee markup and
meeting to vote on whether to hold Biden in contempt of Congress for
failing to respond to a request to testify to the House last month,
on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin
Lamarque/ File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Jan/11/images/ads/current/lincolnheating_lda_LUAL_2023.png)
Hunter Biden has offered to testify in public in the probe, but
lawmakers rebuffed him. He caused a ruckus on Capitol Hill on
Wednesday when he unexpectedly showed up at a House hearing where
lawmakers were considering the contempt charges.
Republican investigators have focused on Hunter Biden's work for
businesses in Ukraine and China while his father served as U.S. vice
president from 2009 to 2017. So far they have turned up no evidence
of wrongdoing by the elder Biden, even as they have highlighted his
son's struggles with substance abuse.
In the tax case, prosecutors have said he earned more than $7
million between 2016 and 2019, including $2.3 million from his
position on the board of directors of Burisma, a Ukrainian
industrial conglomerate. He also served on the board of CEFC China
Energy Co Ltd, a Chinese energy conglomerate.
A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Wednesday found that 44% of
U.S. adults think the prosecution of Hunter Biden is politically
motivated, while 33% do not. At the same time, 56% think he is
receiving favorable treatment from prosecutors.
(Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Will Dunham)
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