Challenges Faced by Hunter Biden: Obstacles and Turning Points

Resilience and perseverance in the journey of Hunter Biden. A timeline of obstacles and growth.

Robert Hunter Biden is an American attorney and businessman, son of former President Joe Biden. He co-founded BHR Partners, a Chinese investment company, and served on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas producer. His professional background includes work as a lobbyist, legal representative, hedge fund principal, and investor in venture capital and private equity funds. His business dealings have attracted considerable media and political attention.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

December 18, 1972: Death of Mother and Sister

On December 18, 1972, Hunter Biden's mother, Neilia Biden, and younger sister, Naomi, were killed in an automobile crash. Hunter and his older brother Beau were seriously injured but survived.

1972: Death of Hunter Biden's Mother and Sister

In 1972, Hunter Biden's mother and sister died in a motor vehicle accident, which he believes contributed to his later addiction issues.

2010: Unwinding of Paradigm Global Advisors

In 2010, the joint promotion of Paradigm Global Advisors by an entity of the troubled Stanford Financial Group hastened the unwinding of the company.

2013: Beginning of Period of High Income for Hunter Biden

From 2013, Hunter Biden and his firm were paid $11 million over five years, which fueled his addiction.

February 2014: Administrative Discharge from Navy Reserve

In February 2014, Hunter Biden was discharged administratively from the Navy Reserve after a routine urinalysis revealed cocaine in his system. He did not appeal the discharge.

2015: Popoviciu Allegations

In 2015, Hunter Biden allegedly accepted payments from Romanian businessman Gabriel Popoviciu to influence U.S. government agencies regarding a criminal probe in Romania, during Joe Biden's vice presidency.

October 2018: Gun Purchase

In October 2018, Hunter Biden purchased and possessed a gun, which later led to federal charges.

2018: Federal Criminal Investigation Begins

In late 2018, Hunter Biden's tax affairs came under federal criminal investigation.

2018: End of Period of High Income for Hunter Biden

Until 2018, Hunter Biden and his firm were paid $11 million over five years, which fueled his addiction.

September 2019: Trump Accusations

In September 2019, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Hunter Biden "walk[ed] out of China with $1.5 billion in a fund" and called upon China to investigate Hunter Biden's business activities.

September 2019: False Claims of Corrupt Activities

Since early 2019, Hunter Biden and his father Joe Biden have been the subjects of false and baseless claims of corrupt activities in a Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory pushed by then-U.S. president Donald Trump and his allies. The Ukrainian anti-corruption investigation agency stated in September 2019 that its current investigation of Burisma was restricted solely to investigating the period from 2010 to 2012.

2019: Intervention for Hunter Biden

In early 2019, Hunter Biden had an intervention due to his addiction issues, which were fueled by an $11 million income.

2019: Targets of False Allegations

Since early 2019, Hunter Biden and his father Joe Biden have been targets of false allegations that Joe pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor to protect Hunter.

October 2020: New York Post Publishes Laptop Article

In October 2020, the New York Post published an article about a laptop computer that allegedly belonged to Hunter Biden, intensifying scrutiny.

2021: Hunter Biden Details Drug and Alcohol Abuse

In 2021, Hunter Biden detailed his drug and alcohol abuse throughout his adult life in his memoir, linking it to family losses, including the 1972 accident that killed his mother and sister.

July 2023: Collapsed Plea Deal Hearing

In July 2023, Hunter Biden attended a hearing where his plea deal collapsed, this event was referenced during the final pre-trial hearing for gun charges.

September 2023: Lawsuit Against IRS

In September 2023, Hunter Biden filed suit against the IRS, claiming unlawful disclosures of his tax return information by IRS employees to members of Congress.

December 7, 2023: Indictment on Tax Charges

On December 7, 2023, Hunter Biden was indicted in California on nine tax charges, including three felonies and six misdemeanors, for allegedly failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 through 2019.

2023: Private Lawsuits Filed

Between 2023 and 2024, Hunter Biden privately sued numerous individuals, organizations, and the U.S. Government alleging various instances of invasion of privacy and defamation.

2023: Lawsuit Against Marco Polo

In 2023, Hunter Biden sued Garrett Ziegler's Marco Polo organization, accusing them of invasion of privacy for publishing 128,000 of his emails recovered from his lost laptop computer.

January 2024: Federal Prosecutors Confirm Laptop Contents

In January 2024, federal prosecutors confirmed possession of a laptop computer left by Hunter Biden at a computer store and verified that the device contained files also found in cloud backups to Biden's Apple account.

May 24, 2024: Final Pre-Trial Hearing for Gun Charges

On May 24, 2024, a final pre-trial hearing was held for the gun charges against Hunter Biden. Judge Maryellen Noreika ruled on what evidence could be presented by the prosecution, including drug use, portions of his memoir, and data from his laptop, phone, and iPad, while excluding other evidence.

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June 3, 2024: Trial Begins on Gun Charges

On June 3, 2024, Hunter Biden's trial began on charges of unlawfully possessing a gun as a drug user, lying on a federal form when buying the gun, and making a false statement to a federally licensed gun dealer. The charges stemmed from a gun purchased in October 2018.

June 11, 2024: Conviction on Gun Charges

On June 11, 2024, Hunter Biden was found guilty on three felony charges for federal gun violations, making him the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted in a criminal trial. Consequently, his law license in Washington, D.C. was suspended.

June 2024: Convicted on Federal Firearms Charges

In June 2024, Hunter Biden was convicted of three federal firearms-related felony charges after admitting to illegally owning a gun while a drug user.

June 2024: Laptop Used as Evidence in Gun Trial

In June 2024, the laptop and its contents were utilized as evidence during Hunter Biden's federal court trial for firearms charges. FBI investigators testified, confirming the authenticity of the laptop by cross-referencing texts, emails, and messages with Apple and verifying the serial number.

August 2024: Allegations of Lobbying for Romanian Businessman

In August 2024, prosecutors alleged that Hunter Biden agreed to lobby on behalf of Gabriel Popoviciu, a Romanian businessman, seeking to influence U.S. government agencies while his father was vice president. Popoviciu was under criminal investigation in Romania and hired Biden to fight the charges through the US government.

August 21, 2024: Pre-Trial Hearing Scheduled

On August 21, 2024, a pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Hunter Biden's tax indictment, involving Biden's lawyers.

September 2024: Pleads Guilty to Tax Charges

In September 2024, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to all of the tax charges against him.

September 2024: Dismissal of IRS Lawsuit

In September 2024, the D.C. District Court dismissed Hunter Biden's claim against the IRS under the Privacy Act.

December 12, 2024: Scheduled Sentencing (Did Not Occur)

Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced on December 12, 2024, for his gun conviction, but this did not occur due to him being pardoned by his father on December 1, 2024.

December 16, 2024: Scheduled Sentencing

Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, 2024, facing a potential prison sentence of up to 17 years. Public statements indicated that President Biden would not pardon his son.

2024: Private Lawsuits Filed

Between 2023 and 2024, Hunter Biden privately sued numerous individuals, organizations, and the U.S. Government alleging various instances of invasion of privacy and defamation.

2024: Hunter Biden's Law License Suspended

In 2024, Hunter Biden had his law license suspended in Washington D.C., with the impact on his livelihood being unclear.

January 2025: Hunter Biden Experiences Homelessness

In January 2025, Hunter Biden's rental home was damaged in the Palisades Fire, leading to difficulty finding new housing and experiencing homelessness. He was also dealing with significant debt and declining income due to poor sales of his memoir.

March 2025: Motion to Dismiss Marco Polo Lawsuit

In March 2025, Hunter Biden sought to have the case against Garrett Ziegler's Marco Polo organization dismissed due to his worsening personal financial situation and inability to pay for his own legal representation.

April 2025: Hunter Biden Consents to Disbarment

In April 2025, Hunter Biden consented to disbarment in Washington D.C. to avoid disbarment proceedings related to his criminal convictions.

June 2025: Hunter Biden Sued for Unpaid Legal Fees

In June 2025, Hunter Biden was sued by Winston & Strawn for over $50,000 in unpaid legal fees related to their representation of him in federal criminal cases.