LOS ANGELES — Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to 9 felony and misdemeanor tax charges in a California courtroom.
Hunter Biden entered the not guilty plea himself during an arraignment in federal court. His plea came just one day after he made a surprise appearance at a Capitol Hill hearing on whether to hold him in contempt of Congress.
Biden is accused of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019. The judge set a June 20 trial date and if convicted, the young Biden could face up to 17 years in prison.
The failed plea deal that led to the tax indictment last month was also discussed, which caused frustration on Biden’s team.
“We had a resolution of this case in 2023 and then things happened,” Biden’s lawyer said.
The next hearing is set for March 27. Motions are due Feb. 20.
Hunter was released on conditions that were the same as his Delaware case, which included no possession of firearms and no alcohol or bond. He must submit to a drug or alcohol test if necessary.
The indictment alleges that Hunter Biden earned millions of dollars from foreign entities in Ukraine, Romania, and China, and “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle at the same time he chose not to pay his taxes.”
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty originally to two federal misdemeanor counts for failing to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018. However, confusion arose over a separate gun charge.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, appointed by former president Donald Trump, expressed doubt about the terms of the deal reached between Biden’s team and U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was also appointed by Trump and kept on by President Biden.
As a result, Biden pleaded “not guilty” to those charges instead until the two sides can meet and address the issues at hand.
The original deal said prosecutors would recommend probation for the tax violations, while a separate felony gun charge would be dropped if Biden agreed to never own a gun again.
