Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles to charges he failed to pay taxes and filed false tax returns for four years.
The embattled son of President Biden is facing nine federal tax charges filed by special counsel David Weiss.
Mr. Weiss accused Hunter Biden of spending money on various vices and for his luxurious lifestyle while failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes he owed to the IRS.
“The Defendant received more than $1.2 million in financial support that was used to pay various personal expenses but not any of his federal individual income tax liabilities for 2016-2019. Between 2016 and October 15, 2020, the Defendant spent this 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,” according to the indictment.
The tax case was filed in California, where Hunter Biden resides, but his problems are bicoastal.
A day earlier in Washington, he defiantly showed up at a hearing of the House Oversight committee that later voted to hold him in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to testify about his father’s role in the family’s lucrative business deals.
The House is expected to vote on the contempt resolution next week.
The tax charges — three felonies and six misdemeanors — could land him in jail for up to 17 years. A trial date is set for June 20.
Mr. Weiss filed the charges after a plea fell apart in court in July.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, referenced the failed deal to the judge on Thursday, suggesting there had been Congressional interference. Mr. Lowell had previously accused special counsel David Weiss of “bowing to Republican pressure.”
“We had a resolution of this case in the summer of 2023, and then things happened,” Mr. Lowell told the judge.
Mr. Weiss told the judge there was no need for additional hearings on the issue.
“Pleas fall apart all the time,” he said.
The deal would have spared Hunter Biden any felony charges or jail time but was scuttled after a judge unearthed language that would shield Hunter Biden from future prosecution for other actions, including his failure to register as a foreign lobbyist for his hugely profitable foreign business deals that witnesses say involved his father while he was vice president.
The secret deal was buried in an agreement allowing Hunter Biden to serve in a diversion program that would have spared him from gun charges related to his purchase of a firearm while addicted to drugs.
In addition to the tax charges, Hunter Biden also faces three felony charges filed by Mr. Weiss in Delaware related to the gun purchase. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in October.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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