Hunter Biden paid off tax liability amid ongoing grand jury investigation: report

Hunter Biden paid off his tax liability after disclosing in 2020 he was under federal probe into his “tax affairs,” people familiar with the issue told The New York Times, while investigators continued to look into his international business dealings.

President Biden’s son has recently told associates he paid off more than $1 million in tax liability with a loan as the Justice Department was investigating the matter, according to the Times. 

Paying off the tax liability does not safeguard him from charges but could lead to a lighter sentence, as courts tend to go easier on those who paid their dues, experts told the Times. 

An investigation into Hunter Biden for tax crimes began in 2018, sources told the outlet, and expanded to include potential violations of foreign lobbying and money laundering rules.

Biden has not been charged with any crime so far, and the Justice Department has refrained from statements on the matter. 

Biden, a Yale-educated lawyer, has done work in countries in Europe and Asia, including in Ukraine, where his dealings with the energy firm Burisma Holdings became a focal point of the 2020 presidential race and helped set off events that led to former President Trump’s first impeachment. Prosecutors are looking into whether Biden intentionally violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware, is leading the case against Biden. People familiar with the issue told the Times that prosecutors could build a case around FARA as a civil matter. 

If that occurs, Biden wouldn’t face criminal charges but would have to register as a foreign agent. It could also change the money laundering case against him. 

The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.