Sex and luxury, but no taxes: Hunter Biden indicted

US President's son - Sex and luxury, but no taxes: Hunter Biden indicted

In the middle of the US election campaign, President Joe Biden is facing another indictment against his son Hunter - and the publication of juicy details from his past.

On Thursday evening (local time), Hunter Biden was indicted in a second case: this time for tax offenses. The 53-year-old is accused of not paying his federal taxes for several years, instead spending millions on an "extravagant lifestyle". The indictment, which was published on Thursday evening, lists delicate expenses in great detail, such as for sex clubs, drugs and women.

The allegations

Specifically, it concerns the years 2016 to mid-October 2020 - i.e. until shortly before Joe Biden's election as president. According to the 56-page indictment, Hunter Biden booked more than seven million US dollars in income during this period. However, the defendant decided not to pay taxes but to spend the money on other things: "on drugs, hostesses and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing and other things of a personal nature, in short: on everything except his taxes".

Several charges are listed: Failure to pay taxes, tax evasion and filing false tax documents.

Opaque income

The indictment lists exactly what Hunter Biden earned in those years, including through a lucrative position at the Ukrainian gas company Burisma - at a time when Joe Biden was Vice President in charge of Ukraine. This has already brought Joe Biden negative headlines, uncomfortable questions and investigations in parliament. But other opaque foreign transactions by Hunter Biden, for example in China, are also listed in the indictment. Also payments by a "personal friend" amounting to 1.2 million dollars over several months in 2020.

Wild spending

The meticulous compilation of Hunter Biden's expenses in those years is particularly impressive. A few items from 2018 alone: 383,548 dollars for payments to "various women", 100,330 dollars for "adult entertainment", 772,548 dollars in cash withdrawals from ATMs, 151,459 dollars for clothing and accessories. In several cases, Hunter Biden allegedly billed payments to women with whom he had romantic or sexual relationships as salaries. He also booked other things as "business expenses", such as 10,000 dollars for a membership in a sex club, payments to strippers, plane tickets for an "exotic dancer" or the rental of a Lamborghini. He also spent countless nights in expensive hotels, which he himself described in his memoirs as the scene of alcohol and drug orgies.

In the book, which was published in 2021, Hunter recounted his past as an alcoholic and junkie, as well as other private escapades, impressively and with astonishing candor. The autobiography has already landed him in legal trouble elsewhere: for buying a gun in 2018, at a time when, according to his memoirs, he was still deep in the drug mire.

The other charge

In September, charges were brought against Hunter Biden in the state of Delaware. In that case, he is accused of making false statements when purchasing the weapons and knowingly concealing his drug addiction - a violation of gun law. The new charges relating to the tax allegations, which a court in the state of California, where Hunter Biden lives, now has to deal with, have been added.

The 53-year-old has already been in the sights of the US judiciary for some time. He has been under investigation for years in connection with possible tax offenses. In June, the public prosecutor's office in Delaware finally published formal charges against the president's son for violations of gun and tax laws. At the time, it initially looked as if he would be able to avert a trial in both cases through a legal deal with the public prosecutor. However, the agreement fell through at a court hearing.

And shortly afterwards, US Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special investigator into Hunter Biden in view of the delicate constellation: David Weiss, who had already been investigating, was given extra powers and pushed ahead with the investigation. The Department of Justice said on Thursday that the investigation was continuing. It is possible that Hunter Biden could face additional legal trouble as a result.

The implications for the election year

The fact that the son of a sitting president is being charged is highly unusual, if not unprecedented. The fact that further juicy details are coming to light that go beyond the revelations in the memoirs is an additional burden for Joe Biden in the middle of the election campaign. Also because the Democrat likes to present himself as an example of integrity and decency.

Above all, however, it adds another remarkable twist to an election year that will be one like no other before: in the coming year, not only former US President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, who wants to challenge Joe Biden, will have to face several court cases for various serious allegations in addition to the election campaign. The incumbent's son will also have to attend court hearings alongside his father's re-election campaign. This has never happened before.

The charges against Hunter Biden provide the president's political opponents with plenty of material for political attacks. The Republicans in the House of Representatives are also likely to try to use this to their advantage: They have initiated investigations into possible impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden for alleged involvement in his son's business dealings. Although the project has no chance of success as things stand at present, it could still prove troublesome for the Democrat in the election year.