Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in tax fraud case
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles to tax fraud charges related to business dealings that also sparked his father’s impeachment investigation.
Hunter Biden is accused of evading $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 through 2019 by spending millions of dollars on drugs, escort services, expensive cars and other luxury items.
He faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted.
Biden Jr. responded “not guilty” when Circuit Judge Mark Scarcey asked him if he would plead guilty. Scarcey set a trial date for June 20.
Biden did not address reporters and protesters waiting outside the courthouse after the hearing. His motorcade left the building through a rear exit.
Biden’s lawyer, Abby Lowell, said his client has paid underpaid taxes and is being harassed because of his famous last name.
The president’s son, who has publicly discussed his struggles with drug addiction, has never held a position in the White House or on his father’s campaign staff.
He has also pleaded not guilty in another case pending in Delaware, where he is charged with lying about his illegal drug use while buying a gun. Those charges carry up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Both cases were initiated by federal prosecutor David Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2019 and was elevated to special prosecutor status last year. A federal judge rejected the proposed plea agreement last summer. The Justice Department has said the investigation into Hunter Biden is ongoing.
Republicans in the House are pushing for Hunter Biden to be prosecuted for refusing to testify in closed hearings in their investigation into his father’s impeachment. This could lead to additional criminal charges.
Hunter Biden offered to testify publicly as part of that investigation, but lawmakers rejected his offer. On Wednesday, he caused a stir on Capitol Hill when he made a surprise appearance on a House panel considering contempt of Congress charges.
Republicans have focused on Hunter Biden’s work for Ukrainian and Chinese companies while his father served as U.S. vice president from 2009 to 2017. So far, they have found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the elder Biden.
In the tax filing, prosecutors said he earned more than $7 million between 2016 and 2019, including $2.3 million for his position on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate. He also served on the board of CEFC China Energy Co Ltd, a Chinese energy conglomerate.
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