Hunter Biden has been splashed all over the news today as he has been criminally charged with tax-evasion offences in California. As well as outlining the $1.4m (£1.1m) in tax payments he failed to make, the case also details his immense spending over 2016-2019. This doesn't look good for Hunter, nor for his father Joe Biden, as the indictment details sprees spent on drugs and escorts.
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According to the BBC, the indictment states that 'between 2016-19, he paid over $188,000 for "adult entertainment" and over $683,000 on "payments - various women"'. However, this is not the first time that Hunter, son of Joe Biden and his first wife Neilia Biden, has peaked media interest over the years.
Hunter has had struggles with substance abuse for much of his life. His mother and sister died in a car crash when he was a baby. They were on the way to buy a Christmas tree when they crashed, and only Hunter and his brother Beau survived. In 2015, Beau died of brain cancer.
Hunter has also been the subject of several political attacks and controversies, including the latest tax and gun scandals. His dating life is just as interesting as he has a colourful romantic past and children with three different women.
Hunter Biden forced to acknowledge his unwanted child
In 2019, an Arkansas woman gave birth to a baby girl and claimed that Hunter was the father. He denied this claim until a DNA test confirmed he was the father. In 2020, he agreed to contribute $20,000 a month in child support, which he has since sought to reduce following a fall in income.
In a court filing in April this year, the mother - Lunden Roberts - stated that Hunter ‘has never seen or contacted’ his four-year-old daughter that President Biden and first lady Jill Biden ‘remain estranged’ from the little girl - named Navy - and her mother.
Hunter dated his brother’s widow
After Beau passed away in 2015, his wife Hallie and Hunter started secretly dating. Their affair created a massive scandal when they were outed in 2017.
Their relationship was then the source of a whole lot of drama. In 2019, the year they broke up, Hunter recorded a call with Hallie where she begged him to take drugs with her, as reported by the Daily Mail:
I'm going to use regardless, but I would rather use with you
Hunter’s first wife Kathleen Buhle
Hunter was married for 24 years - and split in 2017, the same year his affair with Hallie was made public. Buhle reportedly learnt of their relationship through the family’s therapist.
Buhle has spoken openly about her life with Hunter, with whom she raised three daughters: Naomi, Finnegan and Maisy, in her 2022 tell-all memoir: If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction and Healing. The couple officially got divorced in 2019. Buhle says she is embarrassed to admit that she handed all control of the family’s finances over to Hunter when they were married.
Hunter’s current wife Melissa Cohen
Hunter and Melissa’s marriage story is the definition of a whirlwind romance. They met in May 2019 and they got married six days later. Hunter has since said that he fell in love with her instantly.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Hunter reveals he called his father to give him the exciting news. Joe Biden reportedly thanked Cohen for giving her son the courage to love again and told Hunter:
Honey, I knew that when you found love again that I’d get you back.
In March 2020, Cohen gave birth to a son, Hunter’s fifth child. They named him Beau, after Hunter’s late brother.
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Sources used:
CNN Politics: Hunter Biden settles Arkansas child support case
Hollywood Life: Hunter Biden’s Wife: All About Melissa Cohen & His Past Marriage
Politico: The Burisma board, a laptop scandal and struggles with addiction: What to know about Hunter Biden’s legal troubles
ABC News: Hunter Biden's ex-wife Kathleen Buhle speaks out on their marriage, financial woes
The New Yorker: Will Hunter Biden Jeopardize His Father’s Campaign?
BBC: Hunter Biden faces second federal indictment, this time on tax evasion