US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Los Angeles to tax evasion charges stemming from his business activities that also fueled an impeachment inquiry into his father.
Hunter Biden, 53, is accused of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019, while spending millions of dollars on drugs, escorts, exotic cars and other luxuries.
He faces up to 17 years in prison if found guilty.
He pleaded not guilty when U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi asked him how he would enter a plea.
Scarsi set a trial for June 20.
Biden did not address news crews or protesters waiting outside the courthouse after the hearing. A line of cars left the building through the rear exit.
Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said his client had paid back taxes and was being persecuted because of his famous surname.
The president’s son, who has spoken publicly about drug use, has never served in the White House or his father’s campaign.
He also pleaded not guilty in a separate federal case in Delaware to charges that he lied about his illegal drug use when he bought the guns. Those charges carry up to ten years in prison if convicted.
Both cases were brought by federal prosecutor David Weiss, who has been investigating him since 2019, and was promoted to special prosecutor status last year. A federal judge rejected the proposed plea deal last summer. The Department of Justice announced that the investigation against Hunter Biden is ongoing.
House Republicans are calling for Hunter Biden to be charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to testify behind closed doors in their impeachment inquiry into his father. That has the potential to trigger more criminal charges.
Hunter Biden offered to testify publicly in the investigation, but was turned down by lawmakers. He caused a stir on Capitol Hill on Wednesday when he unexpectedly appeared at a House hearing where lawmakers were considering contempt of court charges.
Republican investigators have focused on Hunter Biden’s work at businesses in Ukraine and China while his father was US vice president from 2009 to 2017. So far, they have found no evidence of wrongdoing by the elder Biden, even as they have highlighted his son’s struggle with substance abuse. substances.
In the tax case, prosecutors said he earned more than $7 million between 2016 and 2019, including $2.3 million from a position on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate. He also served on the board of CEFC China Energy Co Ltd, a Chinese energy conglomerate.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 44 percent of American adults believe the prosecution of Hunter Biden is politically motivated, while 33 percent do not think so. At the same time, 56 percent of them believe that he receives favorable treatment from prosecutors.
