Hunter Biden: Accused Of Breaking Laws?

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has been the target of federal investigations and has been convicted of several crimes. In 2024, he was convicted of three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver, during which he lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by stating he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. In the same year, he pleaded guilty to three felony tax offences and six misdemeanour tax offences, for which he faced a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison. Additionally, in 2025, he was found guilty of being an illegal drug user in possession of a gun and pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges. These convictions and investigations have sparked political debates and raised questions about the influence of family members on presidential decisions.

Hunter Biden's tax evasion

Hunter Biden, son of former US President Joe Biden, has been at the centre of several controversies and legal troubles in recent years. In December 2020, he disclosed that the US Attorney's office in Delaware was investigating his taxes. This investigation, which began in 2018, initially focused on possible money laundering charges, but as it progressed, the focus shifted to tax fraud.

In September 2024, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges, including three felony tax offences and six misdemeanour tax offences. He was indicted on nine counts, with the charges alleging that he engaged in a four-year scheme to evade taxes. According to the indictment, he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes owed from 2016 to 2019 and submitted false returns for 2018.

The indictment outlined several actions taken by Hunter Biden to further this scheme, including subverting the payroll and tax withholding process of his company and spending millions on an extravagant lifestyle instead of paying his tax bills. He also stopped paying his overdue taxes for 2015 and failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time. When he eventually filed his 2018 returns, he included false business deductions to reduce his substantial tax liability.

In his defence, Hunter Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, criticised the prosecutor, David Weiss, for the failed plea deal and for pursuing "wild and debunked conspiracies" that prolonged the investigation. Despite facing a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison, Hunter Biden received a pardon from his father, President Biden, in early December 2024, before his sentencing date of December 16. This pardon covered a decade-long period and applied to any federal offences committed or potentially committed during that time.

Gun charges

Hunter Biden, the eldest living son of US President Joe Biden, was convicted of three felonies in a federal gun trial in June 2024. The charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018, when prosecutors argued that Biden lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by stating that he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.

Biden was found guilty on all three felony counts: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user, and illegally owning the gun for 11 days.

During the trial, the prosecution called several members of the Biden family to testify, including Hunter Biden's former wife, Kathleen Buhle, and his sister-in-law and former lover, Hallie Biden. They testified about his drug use and the disposal of the gun, which Hallie Biden threw in a trash bin.

Text messages retrieved from Hunter Biden's phone also undermined the argument that he had not been using drugs during the period before and after the gun purchase. In one message sent the day after he bought the gun, he told Hallie Biden that he was meeting a known drug dealer. In another message sent the following day, he revealed that he was sleeping in a car and smoking crack.

Hunter Biden's defence lawyer, Abbe Lowell, argued that the prosecution had not provided evidence that he had taken crack cocaine during the month that he bought and owned the gun. Lowell also established that no one had seen Hunter Biden use drugs during that period.

Following the verdict, Biden's father, President Joe Biden, said that he would "accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal." Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said they were ""naturally disappointed" by the verdict but respected the process and would "vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available to Hunter."

Drug use

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has been suspected of breaking laws relating to drug use, specifically the possession of a firearm by an addict. In June 2024, Biden was found guilty of being an illegal drug user in possession of a gun. This conviction related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018, when prosecutors argued that Biden lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by stating that he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.

The trial brought to light a dark period in Biden's life, including his spiralling descent into drug addiction after the death of his brother, Beau Biden, in 2015. Former romantic partners testified about finding his crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia, and the court also examined text messages and photos of Biden with drug paraphernalia.

Biden's drug use was also referenced in relation to a laptop left by Biden at a computer shop in Delaware. The laptop was handed over to the FBI by the shop owner in 2019 and contained salacious pictures and emails that shed light on Biden's personal life, including allegations of drug use and other lurid activities.

Money laundering

Hunter Biden has been suspected of money laundering, with several sources alleging that he has used his father's name to advance his business interests. In 2018, investigators in the U.S. Attorney's office in Delaware began looking into possible money laundering charges against him. While the investigation initially focused on money laundering, it later shifted to tax fraud as the money laundering investigation dwindled.

There have been several reports of suspicious activity surrounding Hunter Biden's finances. In November 2022, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee claimed to have potential evidence of money laundering, alleging that "Hunter Biden and James Biden, President Biden's brother, American banks have generated at least 150 SARs" (suspicious activity reports). These reports indicated that banks and financial institutions suspected criminal activity, such as prostitution or adult entertainment services, and potential violations of money laundering rules. However, it is important to note that the mere filing of such reports does not prove that a crime has occurred.

Hunter Biden's business dealings have also been under scrutiny, with allegations that he received payments from foreign companies and individuals. For example, he received a $750,000 advance for a book deal, $1.5 million from the sale of his paintings, and millions of dollars from foreign companies, including Burisma in Ukraine and CEFC in China. These complex financial transactions involved a network of bank accounts and shell companies, making the money trail difficult to trace.

While there have been suspicions and investigations into money laundering by Hunter Biden, no concrete evidence has been presented to the public, and the investigations are still ongoing.

Bribery

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has been the subject of federal investigations and scrutiny, particularly regarding his overseas business dealings and potential conflicts of interest. While there have been allegations and inquiries, no evidence has emerged to suggest that Hunter Biden or President Biden engaged in bribery or accepted bribes.

In 2020, an FBI informant, Alexander Smirnov, fabricated a story claiming that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma (or Burma) paid Hunter Biden and President Biden $5 million each around 2015. These false allegations were a focal point of Republican-led impeachment efforts and inquiries against President Biden, with claims that the Bidens were involved in a bribery scheme. However, investigators determined that Smirnov's dealings with Burisma occurred after 2017, when Biden was no longer vice president, and there was no evidence to support the bribery accusations. Smirnov was indicted and sentenced to six years in prison for charges of tax evasion and lying to the FBI.

The special prosecutor, David Weiss, who led the investigation into Hunter Biden, defended his inquiry as impartial and not motivated by partisan politics. Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax evasion and gun-related charges, for which he received a pardon from President Biden. Despite the lack of evidence for bribery, Republicans have continued to pursue investigations and raise questions about potential conflicts of interest and influence-peddling by the Bidens.

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