Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, pleaded guilty in a Los Angeles federal court to nine counts related to tax offenses. The charges include three felony counts and six misdemeanor counts, stemming from a scheme in which he evaded paying over $1.4 million in federal taxes between 2016 and 2019.
Hunter Biden’s Tax Evasion Scheme
The indictment alleges that Hunter Biden intentionally avoided paying his self-assessed federal taxes for four years. He employed various tactics to facilitate this scheme, including:
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Manipulating Payroll: Biden subverted his own company’s payroll and tax withholding processes, withdrawing millions of dollars outside of the established system to avoid proper deductions.
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Extravagant Spending: Instead of paying his tax obligations, Biden allegedly spent millions on a lavish lifestyle.
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Delinquent Taxes: In 2018, he ceased payments on outstanding and overdue taxes from 2015. He also willfully failed to pay his taxes on time for 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, despite having access to funds.
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Failure to File: Biden willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time.
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False Deductions: When he finally filed his 2018 return, he included false business deductions to reduce his significant tax liability.
Potential Penalties and Sentencing
Hunter Biden faces a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison. However, federal sentencing guidelines and other factors considered by the judge typically result in shorter sentences than the maximum allowed. Sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2024. Judge Scarsi accepted the guilty plea. There was no plea agreement.
Case Information
Details regarding the case can be found on the website of the District Court for the Central District of California or on PACER under Case No. 2:23-cr-00599.
