Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, pleaded not guilty Thursday to nine federal tax charges.
The first son appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for his arraignment after he was indicted by a federal grand jury in December on nine tax-related charges, including three felonies.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges after arriving early to the courtroom Thursday afternoon, according to NBC News. He faces up to 17 years in prison for the tax charges.
One of Hunter Biden’s attorneys and attorneys for special counsel David Weiss were also in the room, CNN reported. Weiss is leading the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ongoing criminal investigation into the president’s son. (RELATED: Hunter Biden’s Drug Addiction Defense Shattered By New California Indictment)
READ THE INDICTMENT:
“The Defendant engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020,” the indictment reads. (RELATED: Hunter Biden Did Not Get Overdue Tax Returns Prepared For Months After Getting Sober, Docs Show)
“Between 2016 and October 15, 2020, the Defendant individually received more than $7 million in total gross income,” it continues. “This included in excess of $1.5 million in 2016, $2.3 million in 2017, $2.1 million in 2018, $1 million in 2019 and approximately $188,000 from January through October 15, 2020. In addition, from January through October 15, 2020, the Defendant received approximately $1.2 million in financial support to fund his extravagant lifestyle.”
Hunter Biden was charged with multiple counts of failure to file and pay taxes and of filing false and fraudulent tax forms. He is also facing a charge of evasion of assessment for 2018. The tax evasion charge and filing false returns charges are felonies. (RELATED: Chinese Business Associate Paid Hunter Biden $1,000,000 For Non-Existent Legal Services, Docs Show)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 10: Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, departs a House Oversight Committee meeting at Capitol Hill on January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. The committee is meeting today as it considers citing him for Contempt of Congress. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
The first son appeared on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning and briefly sat in the audience to watch the House Oversight Committee’s markup hearing on a resolution to hold him in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to appear for a Dec. 13 deposition. Instead of complying with the subpoena, Hunter opted to hold a press conference on Capitol Hill that day. (RELATED: Former Burisma Lawyer John Buretta Files Retroactive FARA Disclosure As Biden Impeachment Inquiry Progresses)
Hunter: “Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not financially involved in my business, not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of Burisma. Not in my partnership with a Chinese private businessman. Not my investments at home nor abroad and certainly not as an… pic.twitter.com/NWgBrfm7ux
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 13, 2023
“Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not financially involved in my business, not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of Burisma. Not in my partnership with a Chinese private businessman. Not my investments at home nor abroad and certainly not as an artist,” Hunter Biden said during the Dec. 13 press conference.
On Wednesday, Hunter sat in the crowd with defense attorney Abbe D. Lowell and Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris, his friend and fixer, as the hearing descended into a shouting match between Republican and Democratic lawmakers. When Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene began speaking, he fled the hearing.
Hunter Biden FLEES committee hearing pic.twitter.com/3hZBtf1KDA
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 10, 2024
“The Republican chairs today, then, are commandeering an unprecedented resolution to hold someone in contempt who has offered to publicly answer all their proper questions,” Lowell told reporters in the hallway after he and Hunter left the hearing.
“The Republican chairs today, then, are commandeering an unprecedented resolution to hold someone in contempt who has offered to publicly answer all their proper questions.”
— Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, on House GOP hearing to hold Biden in contempt of Congress pic.twitter.com/UKnHu4RfRS
— The Recount (@therecount) January 10, 2024
Hunter Biden offered in November to testify publicly and skip the closed-door session, but House Republicans rejected his request, insisting that he appear for the closed-door deposition before testifying publicly. Hunter Biden repeated his offer at the Dec. 13 press conference.
House Republicans have opened an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden to investigate his alleged involvement in Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings. The House Ways and Means, Oversight and Judiciary Committees are leading the inquiry.
On his way back to California after Wednesday’s hearing, Hunter Biden was spotted flying commercial at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, surrounded by Secret Service protection.
Surrounded by police and Secret Service, Hunter Biden flying back to LA commercial from Dulles airport after his stunt on Capitol Hill today. Photos sent to me by someone on his flight. pic.twitter.com/mMsaRLkzp7
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 10, 2024
Lawmakers from the Oversight and Judiciary committees voted at the end of their markup hearings Wednesday to advance the contempt resolution to a floor vote.