Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, has been indicted on nine federal tax evasion charges in California. The indictment alleges that Biden failed to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 through 2019. The charges include failure to file and pay taxes, evasion of assessment, and filing false or fraudulent tax returns.
Biden is accused of earning more than $7 million in gross income from foreign business deals, including his work for Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company, and a Chinese energy conglomerate. Prosecutors claim that he used false business deductions and withdrew millions of dollars from his own companies to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
The indictment also alleges that Biden continued to lie on his tax returns even after getting sober. If convicted, he could face up to 17 years in prison. The special counsel investigation into Biden's business dealings remains open.
Biden's defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, plans to fight the new charges and dismiss the gun charges, calling them unprecedented and unconstitutional. Biden's attorneys have also accused the special counsel of political pressure and interference in the case.
The case had previously been close to a plea deal, but it fell apart in July. Biden's lawyer claims that he repaid his taxes in full two years ago and that the charges would not have been brought if his last name was not Biden. However, this claim has been disputed by some sources.
The indictment does not mention President Joe Biden and no evidence has emerged to prove any wrongdoing by the president. Congressional Republicans are pursuing an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, but it is unclear how these charges against his son will impact that process.
