Hunter Biden indicted on 9 tax charges, adding to gun charges in special counsel probe
- US prosecutors alleged president’s son failed to pay US$1.4 million in taxes while spending ‘millions’ on a lavish lifestyle
- Hunter Biden is already under indictment on federal gun charges, the first criminal prosecution of a sitting US president’s child
Hunter Biden was indicted on nine tax charges in California on Thursday as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of the president’s son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election.
The new charges – three felonies and six misdemeanours – come in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke a law against drug users having guns in 2018.
Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” special counsel David Weiss said in a statement. The charges are focused on at least US$1.4 million in taxes he owed during between 2016 and 2019, a period where he has acknowledged struggling with addiction.
If convicted, Hunter Biden could face 17 years in prison. The special counsel probe remains open, Weiss said.
Hunter Biden had been previously expected to plead guilty to misdemeanour tax charges as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.