Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty to Latest Federal Tax Charges in Los Angeles

The president's son was hit with nine additional federal charges in December for allegedly failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. He faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted on all counts

PresidentJoe Biden's sonHunter Bidenpleaded not guilty at a Los Angeles court on Thursday to nine recent federal charges — including three felony counts — in relation to a sprawling investigation into his taxes.

Hunter, 53, washit with federal misdemeanor chargesof failing to pay federal income tax and a felony charge of illegally possessing a weapon in June. Then, in December, a separate indictment charged him with the nine additional counts, with a56-page filingalleging that the president’s son failed topay at least $1.4 million in taxes, instead spending "millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle" — allegedly including drugs, escorts, luxury hotels and exotic cars.

Hunter faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

A probe into Hunter began in 2018 and initially focused on his business dealings with foreign interests — a topic that was much-discussed in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, particularly by former PresidentDonald Trump.

But the investigation evolved with time, focusing also on Hunter's income taxes -

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and paperwork he used to purchase a firearm in 2018, on which he denied being "an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug or any other controlled substance" despite publicly admitting to struggles with addiction.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has also ramped up its own probe of Hunter in recent weeks as part of an impeachment inquiry into the president. Republicans asked Hunter tosit for a closed deposition, though he said he will only testify publicly.

Hunter revealed that federal prosecutors in Delaware were investigating his "tax affairs" about a month after his father was elected president, latertelling CBS Newsthat he was "being completely cooperative" in the investigation.

Hunter has no official involvement in the White House and did not work on his father's presidential campaign, but was nonetheless a major character in the 2020 face-off between his dad and Trump, who often brought up Hunter's addiction issues in debates.

Hunter has spoken openly about his struggle with addiction, which bubbled up into public view during his2017 divorce from his first wife, who alleged in legal filings that he had spent money on drugs, alcohol, prostitutes and strip clubs.

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