Washington, DC [US], January 12 (ANI): US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, pleaded not guilty on Thursday (local time) to the tax fraud charges that he faces in California for allegedly failing to pay more than a million dollars in taxes, according to CNN.

In the lawsuit launched by special counsel David Weiss, Hunter Biden made his initial appearance on Thursday in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.

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Nine charges against Hunter Biden are linked to a tax evasion scheme that authorities claim he carried out over a number of years while leading an opulent and occasionally scandalous lifestyle, according to CNN.

They are nothing more than a political hit piece, according to Hunter Biden's lawyer.

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Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss, the US attorney for Delaware, as special counsel in August, and he conducted a year-long investigation that led to the accusations against Hunter Biden.

The California court presiding over Hunter Biden's case moved swiftly to schedule the trial and establish the filing and hearing deadlines following Biden's not-guilty plea.

"I'm kind of keeping you on a tight schedule," federal Judge Mark Scarsi said after setting the trial in the case for June 20, 2024, and stated, "We like to move things along," according to CNN.

The prosecutor, Leo Wise, informed the court that much of the information in the case had already been turned over and that some of it would be utilised in the California case as well as the Delaware case, in which Hunter Biden is accused of three charges relating to guns

Although dates in the Delaware case have not yet been scheduled, Hunter Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell, did not object to the dates set by the judge.

The next hearing in the California case is set for late March. Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted. (ANI)

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