According to the indictment filed in federal court in central California, Hunter Biden is charged with nine counts, including failure to file or pay taxes, tax evasion and filing a false or fraudulent tax return.
“According to the indictment, Hunter Biden engaged in a four-year scheme in which he decided not to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019 and to evade assessments for 2018, the year in which he submitted false statements,” Special Counsel Weiss’ office said in a news release.
It also mentions that the president’s son was “spending millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle instead of paying his taxes.”
If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison.
This is the second criminal case brought by special counsel David Weiss against Hunter Biden.
The special counsel filed new charges against Hunter Biden after a previous plea deal offered to him on lesser charges fell through in July.
Hunter had to plead guilty to making false statements about drug use while purchasing a gun. In exchange, prosecutors were going to recommend that he not be sentenced to prison. Additionally, under the terms of the agreement, prosecutors were supposed to drop weapons charges against him after two years if he had no new problems with the law.
Both proposed deals failed after being reviewed by a federal judge.
In September, Special Counsel Weiss charged Hunter Biden with three counts related to the purchase of a gun at a Delaware store in 2018, when the case showed he was illegally using drugs. Hunter has pleaded not guilty in the case.
In November, CNN reported that special counsel Weiss had subpoenaed documents and possible testimony from numerous witnesses through a grand jury in Los Angeles as part of a federal investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
According to CNN, Hunter’s new tax case involves his fees in lucrative overseas contracts, including with Ukrainian energy company Burisma and a Chinese investment fund.
Special counsel David Weiss in the Hunter Biden case was appointed on August 11, 2023 by United States Attorney General Merrick Garland.
