Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to federal tax charges in Los Angeles

Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal tax charges in a Los Angeles courthouse.

Related: Hunter Biden makes appearance at his own contempt of Congress hearing

Biden, who has a home in Malibu, is accused of nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses. His not guilty plea was expected. Three of the charges faced by Joe Biden’s son are felony counts, and he could face up to 17 years in prison if found guilty.

“The defendant engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4m in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019,” the 56-page indictment said, adding that Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills”.

Outside the Los Angeles federal courthouse on Thursday afternoon, a line of dozens of reporters and TV cameras stretched along the sidewalk waiting for a glimpse of Biden. A handful of passersby stopped to watch the scene unfold, some filming with their phones. Nearby, a man with a bullhorn stood chanting “USA” and “Hunter Biden’s laptop” for several hours.

On Wednesday the younger Biden surprised members of the House of Representatives in Washington when he showed up for a hearing in which Republican lawmakers sought to hold him in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena to testify. Democrats pointed out that Hunter Biden did offer to testify in public.

The California arraignment was more procedural than Wednesday’s political theater. During a roughly 30-minute appearance, Biden, wearing a navy blue suit, formally entered his plea after hearing the full account of his tax charges. The court appearance also included a discussion of future court dates and filing deadlines.

He did not address reporters waiting outside the courthouse and appeared to leave in a federal motorcade via a rear exit.

Abbe Lowell, Biden’s lawyer, has said previously that his client has paid his back taxes and is now being persecuted because of his last name.

Elsewhere, Hunter Biden is battling a separate case in Delaware. The president’s son has been charged with unlawfully obtaining a revolver by lying on a form about his drug use. He was addicted to crack cocaine at the time. He is also accused of possessing the gun illegally and has pleaded not guilty in that case.

The accusations stem from a years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax and business dealings that had been expected to wind down over the summer with a plea deal that would have given him two years’ probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. He also would have avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble. The deal, which was pilloried by Republicans, unravelled in July.

Now, the tax and gun cases are moving ahead as part of an unprecedented confluence of political and legal drama: as the 2024 election looms, the US justice department is actively prosecuting the president’s son and Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, who is facing 91 charges in four separate criminal cases.

Judge Mark Scarsi has set a tentative date of 20 June for Hunter Biden’s trial.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed reporting