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The new charges including tax evasion, filing false returns, failure to file returns on time, and failure to pay government taxes. They can carry up to 17 years in prison, although those convicted under federal guidelines usually receive shorter sentences.
Each of the tax charges accuses Biden of committing “willful misconduct,” something his defense is sure to dispute since he has revealed that he struggled for years with addiction.
Prosecutors have outlined the issues in parts of the indictment, but say Biden spent lavishly on an “extravagant lifestyle” while dodging his taxes, including paying for “fruits, graduations and girlfriends, luxury hotels and apartments, exotic cars, clothes etc. of a personal nature.”
“(After) a five-year investigation with no new evidence — and two years after Hunter paid his taxes in full — the U.S. Attorney has piled on nine new charges after agreeing to several months ago to resolve this case with a few crimes,” Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement, “I wrote US Attorney Weiss a few days ago to seek a regular meeting to discuss this research.
The charges come amid an effort by House Republicans to link President Joe Biden to his son’s businesses as part of an impeachment inquiry, although the investigation has not found evidence that the the elder Biden an action as president or vice president to enrich his family. .
The tax issue has been going on for years. Hunter Biden’s financial dealings attracted the attention of the federal government in 2018. After years of investigation, Weiss, the US attorney appointed by Trump for Delaware, considered bringing tax returns in California, where Biden lived when he allegedly failed to pay taxes. To do so, Weiss would need to partner with a California state attorney or obtain a special authority from the Department of Justice.
In the fall of 2022, Weiss discussed the partnership with Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. But Estrada refused to “consult” on the matter, as he later told congressional investigators. Instead, Estrada said he offered Weiss office space and administrative support.
A few months later, Weiss’ team negotiated a plea deal with the president’s son that would require him to plead guilty to two tax charges. In return, Biden would not have faced jail time on tax or gun charges and would have received immunity from future criminal charges.
But after a federal judge forced lawyers and attorneys for Hunter Biden in a July hearing to disclose information about the transaction, it collapsed. Then, in August, Attorney General Merrick Garland made Weiss a special prosecutor, which officially allowed him to file criminal charges anywhere in the country. In September, Weiss charged Hunter Biden in Delaware with possessing a gun while a drug user and lying on paper when he allegedly bought that gun in 2018.
The charges Hunter Biden is currently facing are more serious and serious than the two crimes he agreed to plead guilty to under the original plea deal.