Guns, tax evasion and deals with China: A timeline of Hunter Biden's troubled life and legal nightmares

Hunter Biden has been slammed with nine new charges - all relating to tax evasion - and is set to face a Trump-appointed judge as his case is taken to court. The President's son is no stranger to scandal - Hunter has a long and complex background of legal nightmares. Ranging from gun charges to paternity battles, and international financial swindling to lying about sobriety - here is a timeline of Hunter Biden's legal history.

1970

Hunter Biden was born on February 4 in Wilmington, Delaware, to Neilia and Joe Biden. 

1972

On December 18, 1972, Hunter's mother and young sister Naomi tragically died in a car accident. Hunter and his older brother Beau were also in the vehicle at the time of the incident - but survived with serious injuries. Beau suffered multiple broken bones and Hunter sustained a fractured skull and severe traumatic brain injuries. 

1992

In 1992 - Hunter Biden graduated from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.

1993

Hunter Biden married Kathleen Buhle in 1993.

1996

Hunter completed a year of law school at Georgetown before transferring to Yale and Hunter graduating with a law degree in 1996. 

Early 2000s

According to his memoir - Beautiful Things -  Hunter began drinking heavily during the early 2000s at dinner, at parties and after work. He believes his substance-abuse problems stem from the losses he's faced in life and the little amount that his family would talk about the tragic deaths of his mother and sister.

During this time - Hunter was working at Oldaker, Biden & Belair - a law and lobbying firm where he was made partner in 2001. 

2008

Joe Biden was announced as Obama's running mate for the 2008 election and in September Obama's presidential campaign released a statement saying that Biden's son (Hunter) had quit working as a Washington lobbyist. 

2013

Hunter Biden and two other Americans partnered up with Chinese businessmen to establish a Shanghai-based investment company - BHR partners.

The firm helped finance an Australian coal-mining company controlled by a Chinese state-owned firm.  

2014

In 2014 - Hunter was discharged from the Navy Reserve after he took a drug test which came out positive for cocaine use.

He served for less as a public affairs officer in the Navy Reserve for less than a year before being discharged in February. 

In a statement released by his attorney, Biden said he respected the Navy's decision and was moving forward with his family's love and support. 

In a statement released by his attorney, Biden said he respected the Navy's decision and was moving forward with his family's love and support. He did not give a reason for his discharge. 

Later that year - Hunter joined the board of Burisma - a Ukrainian gas producer - at the same time his father was overseeing U.S. foreign policy with Ukraine. This business move has been at the center of much skepticism from critics.

It was revealed that Hunter made more than $800,000 in 2013 and over $1.2 million in 2014 from his work with the Ukrainian energy company   

The Biden family faced another tragic loss on May 30, 2015 when Joe Biden's oldest son Beau died of brain cancer at the age of 46.

Following the death of his brother - Hunter had a relapse of alcohol addition after a sober stint.

2016

The first anniversary of Beau's death caused Hunter to battle severe depression which lead to crack cocaine use and addiction.

2017

Hunter Biden and Kathleen Buhle divorced after 24 years of marriage and three daughters. Buhle released a memoir in 2022 - If We Break - in which she detailed her accounts of the relationship.

In March of the same year - Celebrity gossip website PageSix.com reported that Hunter and his brother Beau's widow, Hallie Biden, were in a romantic relationship with each other.

2018 

Hunter's fourth child, Navy Joan Roberts, was born in 2018 to Lunden Roberts, from Arkansas. He claims he has no recollection of Roberts or their relationship - saying that he had engaged in 'rampages' with woman after his divorce. A paternity test proved that Hunter was indeed the child's father.

In October of 2018 - Hunter bought a .38-caliber handgun at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington.

About two weeks later his lover and brother's widow Hallie Biden found it 'unlocked' in his truck and threw it in a grocery store trash can. Its discovery sparked a police investigation – though charges were never brought by the local cops.

Hunter wrote on the Firearm Transaction Record that he did not use unlawful drugs, but admitted in his memoir that he was a crack addict at the time. Lying on the federal form is a felony.

2019

Hunter left a damaged Apple computer at a repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware, in April, 2019. The computer was described as containing 'alarming' and 'embarrassing' material.

The business-owner - John Paul Mac Isaac said he copied the computer's content and alerted the FBI about what he saw.

In October, 2019, Hunter announced he was stepping down from BHR as his father - who previously announced his presidential campaign - kept facing attacks over his son's business.

2020

During the final weeks of Joe Biden's presidential campaign - he falsely claimed that 'my son has not made money' in China and that 'the only guy who made money in China is this guy,' referring to Trump.

In December of 2020 - Hunter disclosed that he was under investigation by the DOJ as he was being examined for potential criminal violations of tax and money laundering laws. 

2023 

 In June, 2023, Hunter agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his 2017 and 2018 taxes on time. He reached a deal with prosecutors that would see him plead guilty to tax crimes and dispense with a gun charge but likely avoid jail time, according to new Justice Department filings.

A month later - Hunter's previous business partner Devon Archer told congress behind closed door that President Biden spoke to his son's  international business associates for more than a decade.

Because of Archer's bombshell revelation - a federal judge in Delaware put on hold the proposed guilty plea that was going to settle Hunter's tax and gun charges.

In September of this year - special counsel David C. Weiss said he plans to indict Hunter Biden on a gun charge before the end of that month.

That same month - Kevin McCarthy opened an impeachment inquiry into President Biden revolving around his knowledge of Hunter's international business affairs, accusing the president of giving his son 'special treatment' in a criminal tax investigation. 

On September 14 - Hunter was charged by federal prosecutors for lying about his drug use in connection to a handgun in 2018.

On December 7 - Hunter Biden was faced with nine new charges filed by the Justice Department.

Judge Mark Scarsi, a Trump-appointed judge, is set to oversee Hunter Biden's tax evasion case which alleges Hunter was involved in a four-year $1.4m tax evasion scheme.

All nine charges relate to tax, including two felony charges for filing a false return, a felony charge for tax evasion, four failure to pay charges, and a further two charges for failure to file. The charges span the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 tax years.