2023 has been a year of history-making indictments. Now, Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has added another to the list, after he was charged with three counts relating to the possession of a gun while under the influence of narcotics. It's the first prosecution of a sitting president's child in US history. It's thought that the alleged crimes may have been committed while Hunter was residing at this father's home in Wilmington, Delaware. To add to the legal storm, Hunter has just filed a lawsuit against the IRS over their tax investigation into him, plus prosecutors have suggested more charges may be on the horizon. Click or scroll on to find out more...
On 14 September, three federal firearms charges were brought against Hunter Biden in the culmination of a years-long investigation. The indictment passed by a grand jury in Wilmington, Delaware, follows the dramatic collapse of a plea deal intended to keep Hunter out of prison in July 2023. The counts relate to a gun the president's son purchased in October 2018, during a turbulent period in which he was struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine. All three counts concern allegations that the president's son lied about his status as a drug user on official forms when buying a revolver. Under US federal law, it's a crime to lie on such paperwork or to possess a firearm while addicted to narcotics. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 25 years behind bars. No date has been set for his arraignment yet.
Abbe Lowell, Hunter's attorney, suggests that the charges were motivated by politics, rather than justice. Defending his client, Lowell said: “Hunter Biden possessing an unloaded gun for 11 days was not a threat to public safety, but a prosecutor, with all the power imaginable, bending to political pressure presents a grave threat to our system of justice.” President Biden's adversary, former president Donald Trump, described the charges as a "sad situation". Trump himself has been indicted four times this year to date. According to ABC News, Republicans aren't too impressed by the counts brought against Hunter, with Representative James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, deeming them "a very small start" and calling for a more robust investigation.
One question raised by the indictment is where exactly Hunter was residing when the alleged gun crimes took place. According to the New York Post, the president's son listed the Biden family home in Wilmington, Delaware as his residence in July 2018 on a background screening form. Fox News Digital also claims Hunter listed the home as his billing address on his personal credit card in 2018 and 2019. In court filings, the firearms charges allegedly occurred in October 2018 as Hunter struggled with addiction issues. Given the indictment was handed down by a Wilmington grand jury, it would make sense that the alleged crimes took place when Hunter was staying at or visiting the property. Notably, it's the same residence in which classified documents dating from Joe Biden's time as vice president were found in December 2022.
But gun charges may not be Hunter's only legal nightmare to negotiate. The plea deal that fell apart in July also detailed two misdemeanour tax offences that he had originally agreed to plead guilty to after failing to pay some $200,000 (£161k) in federal income tax in 2017 and 2018 – and these charges didn't just disappear when the deal imploded. According to AP, special counsel David Weiss, who has been leading the investigation, has suggested that tax charges could be filed at some point in either Washington or California. Most recently, Hunter Biden has hit back over the probe into his tax affairs. On 18 September, he sued the Internal Revenue Service, alleging that its agents violated his right to privacy. Hunter is seeking $1,000 (£806k) in damages for each "unauthorised disclosure of his tax return information", as well as legal fees.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden is facing his own political battles. On 12 September, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy launched an impeachment inquiry into the president. The announcement came two days before formal charges were brought against his son. McCarthy says a Republican-led investigation over the summer revealed "allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption". Some of these allegations are said to relate to Hunter Biden's business dealings, but so far Republicans have produced nothing substantive to suggest that the president improperly profited from his son's work. Meanwhile, a separate ongoing investigation led by the House Oversight Committee accused members of the Biden family, including Hunter, of profiting from foreign money deals. However, watchdog the Congressional Integrity Project recently dubbed the probe "eight months of abject failure" due to the lack of evidence unearthed.
While times may be turbulent for the Biden family, the US president continues to stand by Hunter. In the wake of his indictment, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said: “The president loves his son and is supporting his son. His son has gone through an awful lot and his parents are right there with him, and that’s not going to change... That’s where his head is – with his family." He added: “But it’s also very much on the country’s business." In recent months, Joe Biden has noticeably kept his son close, no doubt aware of the legal pressures Hunter has been facing. Hunter and his family have been regularly hosted at the White House, as well as spending weekends away at Camp David with the president and first lady.
Thankfully for the Bidens, another case against Hunter was settled over the summer. A paternity suit that was filed against the president's son in 2019 was put to bed in June. The case was brought by Lunden Roberts, with whom Hunter shares a five-year-old daughter, Navy, after the first son asked a judge to reduce his monthly child support payments in 2022, citing a substantial change to his "financial circumstances". While the financial terms of the settlement haven't been revealed, Hunter has agreed to give a number of his paintings to the child, AP reports. In return, Roberts withdrew her motion for Navy to share her father's famous last name.
In late July, President Biden acknowledged his granddaughter officially. “Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward", he said in an exclusive statement to People. "This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter," the president continued. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy."
Read on to take a look around Hunter Biden's homes through the years...
Hunter Biden was marked by tragedy at a young age; first losing his mother and sister in a car accident when he was just two years old and later, his brother to rare brain cancer. But while the scandal-plagued middle child of the current president of the free world has had his fair share of legal troubles in recent years, Hunter’s real estate portfolio has always remained strong. Click or scroll through for a peek at every place Hunter has lived, from his childhood Delaware mansion to his current Malibu artist getaway...
Robert Hunter Biden, born 4 February, 1970, is the sole surviving son of President Joe Biden and first wife Neilia Hunter Biden. Like his brother and father, Hunter graduated from Catholic high school – Archmere Academy, in Claymont, Delaware – before enrolling at Georgetown University in 1988. He spent his early years in a gorgeous 1723 colonial manse in North Star, Newark. A lawyer by profession, Hunter followed in his father's footsteps, working his way up in Washington, even serving as a lobbyist and later an advisor to investors.
When his father made his first foray into politics, winning election to the New Castle County Council in 1970 and assuming office the following year, the family was living in Joe’s parents' four-bedroom Faulkland home. Although the family had just bought an elegant 1723 colonial mansion in Newark, Joe Biden was not comfortable living outside his county district and decided to house-swap with his parents.
The young family eventually moved into their trim mini-estate in Delaware when Joe was elected junior senator for Delaware in November 1972. Although mortgaged up to their eyeballs, the North Star House, as it was referred to in old deeds, was a big step up from the Faulkland house.
The five-bedroom mansion sits on nearly three acres and has five fireplaces spread across the residence's 4,875 square feet. Built in 1723, it was originally part of a 300-acre plot which was later divided by the du Pont family. The property was sold in 1975 after the Bidens made it their own, namely by extending the den.
Recent pictures of the home highlight a mix of historic and contemporary features, like the exposed beams throughout the home and oversized stone fireplaces. Outside, there is also a pool, hot tub, stone fireplace and a professional built-in gas grill and pool house.
The Bidens have been said to resemble the Kennedys in some ways – Catholic, tight-knit, marked by tragedy and driven to political involvement. Hunter’s first brush with tragedy came in 1972, when he and older brother Beau sustained injuries in the car accident that took the lives of his mother Neilia and baby sister Naomi. Hunter sustained a skull fracture and severe traumatic brain injuries that doctors feared might be permanent.
Yet, despite these setbacks, Hunter went on to earn a BA in History at Georgetown University. While studying and living in Washington, DC Hunter worked odd jobs, and it was here he began to diverge from his reportedly teetotal father. According to a 2019 interview with The New Yorker, he started social drinking and ultimately, occasionally using drugs.
After graduating, Hunter decided to pursue a law degree like his father and brother, but first took a year off working in Portland at the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, where he first met his now-estranged wife Kathleen Buhle. Initially not accepted by Yale Law, according to The New Yorker, Hunter went to Georgetown Law for a year, before transferring to Yale and graduating in 1996.
From then, Hunter’s career seems to have been closely tied to his father's political interests. Returning to his roots in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife Kathleen and daughter Naomi, Hunter was made deputy campaign manager for Joe’s reelection to the Senate. While renting an apartment close to his father’s campaign HQ, Hunter also got a job as a lawyer at MBNA, which, according to Open Secrets, also happened to be a big donor to several of Joe Biden's campaigns over the years.
Like his father, Hunter caught the renovation bug and in 1997 he reportedly bought a historic estate in Wilmington with an original structure dating back to before the Revolutionary War. He lived there with his wife and young daughters, while brother Beau moved in too, taking over the third floor after he was appointed a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s office in Philadelphia. Hunter had risen to the role of executive vice president at MBNA by then and it was reported that the historic estate had become the go-to weekend hang-out for their friends and family. This archive image shows Hunter with Beau and younger sister Ashley.
Growing tired of the stiff corporate culture at MBNA, Hunter made his first move to DC in 1998, reaching out to an “old friend” of his father, William Oldaker, a Washington lawyer who had worked on Joe Biden's 1987 presidential campaign. Hunter wanted to become a DC player and wanted a job in President Bill Clinton's administration, reported The New Yorker.
Hunter reportedly sold his Delaware house for about double what he’d paid and moved his family into a rental home in the Tenleytown neighbourhood of Washington, DC, taking a job as a director in the Department of Commerce, focusing on e-commerce policies. He served in the Clinton administration from 1998 to 2001, after which he once again consulted with William Oldaker, who at the time was starting a lobbying business, the National Group.
The early 2000s brought a lot of change for Hunter; he officially became a lobbyist, primarily restricting his clients mostly to Jesuit universities. He also moved his young family back to Wilmington to be closer to the rest of the Biden clan in 2001. Although it is unclear where his primary residence was in Delaware, he did follow in his father’s footsteps, commuting to Washington on the Amtrak.
Hunter hung up his lobbying boots in 2008, reported CNN, when then-Senator Obama asked Joe to be his running mate. However, his financial worries were mounting, having purchased a $1.6 million (£1.3m) house in an affluent DC neighbourhood in 2006. According to The New Yorker, “without the savings for a down payment, he took out a mortgage for 110 per cent of the purchase price.”
The 4,390-square-foot home, located in Northwest Washington, DC, is a four-level Colonial property with hardwood floors, large socialising and dining spaces, a white chef’s kitchen and a master suite with two walk-in closets. In addition to the expansive master suite, there are five other spacious bedrooms that follow a neutral colour scheme. The lower level houses the porch, family room, kitchen and dining and a bedroom.
After Hunter and Kathleen finalised their divorce in mid-April 2017, the property was listed with Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties, the realtor that helped Ivanka Trump secure a rental in the city's Kalorama neighbourhood. The DC home was listed for just under $1.9 million (£1.5m) and sold in August of the same year for $1.6 million (£1.3m).
Realtor reported that the DC home came up during the divorce proceedings when Kathleen stated that at the time, they had a double mortgage on the property and owed $314,000 (£253k) in taxes. The divorce papers filed in Washington, DC, Superior Court, first obtained by the New York Post, mentioned: “his spending rarely relates to legitimate family expenses, but focuses on his own travel (at times multiple hotel rooms on the same night), gifts for other women, alcohol, strip clubs, or other personal indulgences.”
Hunter and Beau were always close; Hunter even helped to pay off Beau’s law school debts, while Beau was the one to take Hunter to rehab. However, Hunter’s spiral came when the family was faced with yet another tragedy in 2015, when Beau died of a rare brain cancer. In his memoir, Beautiful Things, Hunter recalls nursing his brother through his final days. However, his personal life continued to make headlines when he divorced Kathleen, the mother of his three daughters and according to The Washington Post reportedly started dating Hallie Biden, Beau's widow.
It is unclear when Hunter and Hallie Biden broke up; it was first reported by Page Six in April 2019 and not soon after, TMZ reported the "secret" wedding between Hunter to South African model and activist, Melissa Cohen, on 16 May in Los Angeles. As The Standard details, in his memoir, he credits his current, clean state to Melissa and details their courtship and how she faced down the "hoodlums" who came after him and took charge of his sobriety.
Hunter reportedly first made the move to LA in 2018. Although it was alleged by Ann Coulter and the New York Post that he had purchased a multimillion-dollar hideaway in LA’s storied Hollywood Hills, Dirt later reported that it was actually leased to Hunter for $12,000 (£9.7k) per month over the summer of 2019. The home was reportedly owned by a Chinese-born businessman, who acquired the property in 2013 for $2.2 million (£1.8m).
Built in 1961 and designed by Buff & Hensman, the home spans just over 2,000 square feet and includes distinct mid-century modern features. Just off famous Mulholland Drive, the three-bed, three-bath house can be accessed only from a long, gated driveway – ideal for a celebrity trying to keep out of the public eye. The space takes advantage of the views with an open floor plan, minimalist decorations and floor-to-ceiling glass sliders for seamless indoor-outdoor living.
The outdoor space comes equipped with a zen courtyard and a wraparound deck with multiple socialising spaces to enjoy the panoramic views of LA, while the angular pool, tucked away into a lower hillside area for privacy, can be accessed through a pine tree-canopied pathway. Alongside it is a glass cabana that could also double as an office space.
At the end of 2020, Hunter upgraded his digs to a 3,800-square-foot Venice canal-side rental. The two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home was owned by Sweetgreen co-founder and CEO Jonathan Neman, who purchased the property in 2017 for $4.9 million (£3.9m). Hunter is believed to have rented the waterfront stunner for anywhere between $17,500 (£14.1k) and $25,000 (£20.2k) a month according to news sources.
The house was certainly a brave choice, considering Hunter and Melissa were moving in with a then 10-month-old child in tow. The interior boasts an all-white palette with natural accents that define each living space. The 25-foot-high acoustic ceiling gives the room an airy, capacious feel. However, their time at the rental was not without drama. According to reports that surfaced in 2023, Hunter allegedly "trashed" the property, according to an exclusive report. Hunter and Melissa reportedly left the house in "disarray and disrepair", a source claims. As if that wasn't bad enough, they allegedly left owing around $80,000 (£64.5k) in unpaid rent.
The Daily Mail quoted a source who claimed: "Hunter and Melissa were horrible tenants. Not only did they stiff the owner for months of rent, they left the home in terrible condition." The source claimed Melissa was "rude and entitled" and after the pair "destroyed the stereo equipment" they were uncooperative with the person who came to fix it. The report also alleged that the couple left the place dirty. "They were totally disrespectful of Jonathan and [his wife] Leora's property," the source expanded.
The Nemans sold the three-storey, 3,800-square-foot house for $3.9 million (£3.1m) in March 2022, after "cleaning up the Bidens' mess" and it's now thought to be worth just over $4.2 million (£3.4m). Luckily for Biden, the report claims that the multimillionaire salad mogul decided against taking Hunter to court for the arrears. "It's not that he needed the money and frankly it was embarrassing," the source added. While they may not have parted from the property on great terms with their former landlords, the home certainly looks like a wonderful place to raise a family. Crisp and clean in the listing photos, there's a whole host of beautifully appointed living zones.
Meanwhile, the home's two large bedrooms each have an expansive, luxe bathroom. One of the bedrooms also comes with an airy lounge that extends into a small walled courtyard and plunge pool, while the other spans across the entire top floor of the three-storey property and includes a sauna and a spiral staircase to the roof terrace. After their stint in Venice, the Bidens upped and moved to Malibu...
With privacy being the main concern for Hunter, according to TMZ, the family swapped Venice Beach for their current $20,000-a-month (£16k) rental in Malibu. The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom property spans 3,000 square feet and reportedly sold for $3.3 million (£2.7m) in 2019. The home comes with a built-in art studio, which is ideal given Hunter’s newfound career as an artist. “In the new house, the studio occupies a converted three-car garage, with a brick floor and a skylight,” stated an Artnet description.
Sitting on a 0.7-acre lot, the open floor plan maximises the stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. The indoor-outdoor living room features pocket doors and a vaulted ceiling, but the pièce de résistance is a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. The bedrooms have a similar relaxed feel, the all-white colour scheme accentuated by blue-hued elements to complement the Pacific views. The outdoor area is spacious yet private and is ideal for socialising on the stone patio with a built-in barbecue, a pool with a Baja shelf and a hot tub.
Being the President’s son means having your own Secret Service detail. Earlier in 2022, ABC News reported that the agency was paying more than $30,000 (£24.2k) a month to rent out a swanky Malibu mansion for nearly a year, next to Hunter’s rental. The Spanish-style sea view villa is a six-bedroom, six-bath, spanning 3,778 square feet and comes with a gym, tasting room, built-in barbecue, guesthouse and a castle-like tower.
Hunter also enjoyed a number of vacations in the homes of his father's wealthy benefactors in 2022. That summer, President Biden, along with his son and his family, reportedly stayed for free in a $20 million (£16.1m) beachfront mansion in South Carolina, pictured here. The home belonged to Democratic donor Maria Allwin. Meanwhile, in November of the same year, the family celebrated Thanksgiving with a getaway to a luxury Nantucket home, owned by billionaire investor David Rubenstein.
Legal troubles are seemingly never far behind Hunter Biden and it remains to be seen how his indictment will play out in court. However, with a more settled home life with his wife Melissa and son Beau, who was named after his late brother, as well as a newfound career as an artist, we can't wait to see what's next for the first son and where he may lay down his roots.
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