Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, is scheduled to make his initial court appearance and arraignment in California next month, according to a federal court calendar on Monday.
The court appearance is slated for Jan. 11, 2024, at the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California. It will see Mr. Biden, 53, facing serious felony and misdemeanor tax charges.
The charges stem from a nine-count indictment returned by a grand jury, accusing Mr. Biden of three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses. The charges follow an extensive criminal investigation into his financial dealings between 2016 and 2019, according to federal court documents.
The Epoch Times contacted Mr. Biden’s lawyer for comment.
The indictment alleges that Mr. Biden, instead of fulfilling his tax obligations, spent his money financing an extravagant lifestyle, including on drugs, escorts, luxury hotels, rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other personal items, totaling at least $1.4 million.
“The Defendant spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle at the same time he chose not to pay his taxes,” reads the indictment.
Specifically, the charges include three counts of failure to pay taxes for the years 2016, 2017, and 2019, along with three counts of failure to file tax returns for the years 2017 and 2018, according to special counsel David Weiss.
In addition to these charges, Mr. Biden is accused of tax evasion, filing a false return, and filing a false return for his company, Owasco PC, for the tax year 2018.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Biden intentionally sought to evade tax payments, including manipulating his company’s payroll and tax withholding process by withdrawing millions outside established procedures. The indictment further contends that he claimed false deductions in 2018 to reduce his tax liability and failed to pay taxes on time between 2016 and 2019, neglecting to file timely tax returns for 2017 and 2018.
The Biden family has come under intense scrutiny, with Republicans investigating allegations that President Biden was involved in an influence-peddling scheme with his son, from his time as vice president and afterward through family foreign business dealings, including with China, that involved his son.
The 14-page impeachment inquiry measure instructs three powerful House committees—the Ways and Means, Oversight and Accountability, and Judiciary—to keep up their probe.
This move is expected to give more firepower to Republicans’ efforts to compel the provision of documents and testimony from the White House and the Biden family.
Hours before the impeachment inquiry vote, Mr. Comer said on the House floor that the president “must be held accountable for his lies, corruption, and obstruction.”
President Joe Biden, and the White House, have denied involvement in his son’s activities.
Last week, the House voted to formalize its impeachment inquiry of President Biden hours after his son defied a subpoena to testify privately before the House Oversight Committee, instead giving a public press conference outside the U.S. Capitol.
“I’m here today to answer at a public hearing any legitimate questions Chairman Comer and the House Oversight Committee may have for me,” Mr. Biden said.
In response to this action, Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said their respective powerful House Oversight and Judiciary committees would “now initiate contempt of Congress proceedings.”
“We will not provide special treatment because his last name is Biden,” they said in a joint statement.
Mr. Biden could find himself in contempt of Congress, which brings jail time. Several officials who served in the Trump administration have been held in contempt for defying subpoenas.
Mr. Jordan has suggested that Mr. Biden could have another chance to appear after the House votes on an impeachment inquiry resolution.
