Trump Judge to Oversee Hunter Biden Tax Case

Hunter Biden was indicted Thursday by the U.S. Department of Justice on nine tax-related charges, and the case was assigned to Judge Mark Scarsi, an appointee of former President Donald Trump.

In a 56-page document filed in a Los Angeles, California, federal court, President Joe Biden's son is accused of failing to pay taxes, filing a fraudulent form and evading an assessment. Three of the nine charges are felony counts.

"The Defendant engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019," the indictment read, adding Biden "spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills."

The charges against Biden were brought by Special Counsel David Weiss, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the investigation into Biden.

"Between 2016 and October 15, 2020, the Defendant spent this money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes," the indictment said.

Reuters reported that Biden faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted of all nine charges. In October, Biden pleaded not guilty to charges that he lied about his drug use while buying a handgun.

Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Biden, responded to a request for comment with a statement.

"Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter's last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought," Lowell told Newsweek in the statement. "First, U.S. Attorney Weiss bowed to Republican pressure to file unprecedented and unconstitutional gun charges to renege on a non-prosecution resolution. Now, after five years of investigating with no new evidence—and two years after Hunter paid his taxes in full— the U.S. Attorney has piled on nine new charges when he had agreed just months ago to resolve this matter with a pair of misdemeanors."

Lowell's message added: "I wrote U.S. Attorney Weiss days ago seeking a customary meeting to discuss this investigation. The response was media leaks today that these charges were being filed. All these issues will now be addressed in various courts, the first to occur this Monday when the prosecutors knew our motions to dismiss their first set of questionable charges would be filed."

Newsweek contacted the White House via email Thursday night for comment.

Scarsi, a native of Syracuse, New York, attended Syracuse and Georgetown universities.

Then-President Trump announced he would nominate Scarsi to serve as a district judge in October 2018. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September 2020.

Weiss was also appointed by Trump, who nominated him in 2017. He began his post as U.S. attorney in Delaware in 2018.

When Garland appointed Weiss as special counsel in August to oversee the Hunter Biden investigation, he said Weiss would "decide where, when and whether to file charges."

"I am confident that Mr. Weiss will carry out his responsibility in an even-handed and urgent matter, and in accordance with the highest traditions of this Department," Garland said in a written statement.

In Thursday's indictment, prosecutors allege Biden failed to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 through 2019. He's also accused of including false business deductions when he filed returns in 2018.

The prosecutors wrote Biden earned more than $7 million between 2016 and 2020 and received additional support of $1.2 million in 2020. His 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things, also brought in more than $140,000 for Biden, the court filing revealed.

Update 12/07/23, 9:48 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include more information.

Update 12/08/23, 1:40 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a statement from Abbe Lowell.