Hunter Biden is facing a second federal indictment, this time on charges of evading $1.4 million in tax payments.
The nine-count indictment, filed in California, spans the period from 2016 to 2019 and also details a lavish lifestyle involving drugs and escorts.
This follows a previous indictment in September related to his ownership of a gun while on drugs and failure to declare his addictions on a form.
The new charges are seen by Hunter Biden’s lawyer as politically motivated, with no mention of President Joe Biden in the indictment. The White House has not commented on the matter.
Congressional Republicans have been focusing on Hunter Biden’s business dealings in an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, who is seeking re-election.
If convicted, Hunter Biden could face a maximum prison sentence of 17 years due to the charges in the tax case. The indictment includes three felonies and six misdemeanors, such as failure to file and pay taxes, false tax return, and evasion of assessment.
The investigation by the US Department of Justice Special Counsel David Weiss, which began in 2019, alleges that Hunter Biden spent money on “drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes.”
The indictment states that he received over $7 million in gross income between 2016 and 2020 but willfully failed to pay taxes for the years 2016 to 2019.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, contends that political motivations drive the charges, suggesting they wouldn’t have arisen if his last name were different.
Despite eventually paying all taxes and fines in 2020 with the help of a loan from his personal attorney, the indictment outlines substantial spending on “adult entertainment,” payments to women, and an “extravagant lifestyle.”
The indictment notes Hunter Biden’s increasing income from various sources, including a company formed with a Chinese business conglomerate.
The Ukrainian energy company Burisma, and an unnamed Romanian businessperson. As his income rose, so did his expenditures on what the indictment describes as an “extravagant lifestyle.”
Earlier this year, prosecutors expected Hunter Biden to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges, but a judge criticized the agreement, causing its collapse.
Congressional Republicans have criticized the handling of the case, and two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers testified that Hunter Biden should have faced more serious tax charges.
The House of Representatives Oversight Committee is currently leading an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, alleging involvement in an influence-peddling scheme with his son, although the White House dismisses these claims as based on lies.