Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, will make his initial court appearance on tax charges next month in Los Angeles, according to court documents showed Monday.
Biden will be arraigned during the appearance on three felony and six misdemeanor tax offenses handed down in an indictment filed earlier this month in US District Court in Los Angeles.
The charges against Hunter Biden come as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son intensifies against the backdrop of the 2024 election. Biden also faces federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging in 2018 he broke laws against drug users having guns.
According to special counsel David Weiss, Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills.” The charges are focused on at least $1.4 million in taxes Biden owed between 2016 and 2019, a period where he admits to struggling with addiction. The back taxes have since been paid.
Last summer, Biden’s lawyers failed to reach a plea deal with federal prosecutors over the gun issue that would have averted a trial and jail time.
The president’s son is also facing backlash for his overseas business dealings, in which he appeared to have tried to profit off the family name.