What is Hunter Biden's net worth and salary?
Hunter Biden is an American lawyer and lobbyist who has a net worth of $1 million. Hunter Biden is best known for being the son of President Joe Biden. A somewhat controversial figure, Hunter has been criticized for seeming to use his proximity to his father to find lucrative positions for various overseas companies. He has also famously battled drug addiction and has had a number of affairs, including one with his brother's widow. He was the target of several tax-related prosecutions. Hunter Biden was fully pardoned by his father in December 2024.
Earnings and Debts
Between 2014 and 2016 alone, Hunter reportedly earned $6 million from his various income sources. A leaked email showed Hunter made $833,000 in 2013, $847,000 in 2014, and $2.5 million in 2016. He controversially served on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company from 2014 to 2019.
Unfortunately, he was just as quick to spend the money and reportedly found himself with debt that topped $475,000, including $320,000 in unpaid federal taxes. Leaked emails and texts reportedly showed that Hunter spent his money on a fleet of toys – a 2014 Porsche, an Audi, an $80,000 boat, a BMW, two trucks, and several Range Rovers. He also reportedly spent large sums on drugs and women.
He paid the tax bill off entirely in 2020 through an entertainment lawyer named Kevin Morris, who reportedly lent Biden $2 million to cover the full debt. It's unclear what terms were agreed upon before Kevin made the payment and if there were any terms.
Tax Evasion Charges
In December 2023, Federal prosecutors indicted Hunter on a slew of tax evasion charges. According to the charges, between 2016 and 2019, Hunter allegedly spent $5 million on a lavish lifestyle while failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes. His expenses during these years included some shocking revelations. During those three years alone, Hunter allegedly withdrew $1.6 million from ATMs and spent the following amounts:
- $684,000 on prostitutes
- $188,000 on "adult entertainment" (believed to be sex club memberships and pornography)
- $400,000 on clothing and accessories
- $70,000 on rehab
Early Life and Career
Hunter Biden was born in Wilmington, Delaware, in February 1970. He is the son of Joe Biden. Hunter Biden graduated from Georgetown University and earned his JD from Yale University. He served in the United States Navy Reserve.
Hunter Biden served as the Vice Chairman of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation from July 2006 to January 2009. He is the co-founder of the international consulting firm Rosemont Seneca Partners. He served on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas producer, from 2014 to 2019. During his time as a board member of Burisma, Hunter Biden was paid a monthly retainer that reportedly topped $50,000 in some months.
In 2019, President Trump claimed that Joe Biden sought the dismissal of a Ukrainian prosecutor to protect his son Hunter from investigation. Hunter Biden was not under investigation and no evidence of wrongdoing has been found. These accusations played a part in an impeachment inquiry in 2019.
MBNA
In 1996, Hunter worked for the Delaware-based bank MBNA, earning an annual salary of $100,000. In 2001, he left MBNA to launch a lobbying practice. Between 2001 and 2005, Hunter was a paid consultant to MBNA. MBNA reportedly paid his consulting firm millions of dollars, according to The New York Times. At the time, his father was the senior Senator from the state, and his brother Beau was soon to be Delaware's Attorney General.
Paradigm Global Advisors
In 2006, Hunter Biden and his uncle James Biden (Joe's younger brother) purchased a hedge fund called Paradigm Global Advisors. To buy the firm, they paid with an $8.1 million promissory note. Over their five-year tenure at the firm, Hunter and James were not particularly successful investors. They reportedly lost money in frauds and Ponzi schemes on more than one occasion. During his time with the fund, Hunter drew an annual salary of $1.2 million. Hunter and James unwound the fund in 2010 allegedly and never paid off the $8.1 million promissory note.
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Burisma Holdings
As we mentioned previously, Hunter Biden was a highly-paid Board Member for Ukrainian-based Burisma Holdings from 2014 to 2019. He reportedly earned $50,000 per month during his time on the Board of Burisma. It has been estimated that Hunter earned $850,000 – $3 million during his time as a Burisma Board Member.
Personal Life
Hunter Biden was married to Kathleen Buhle from 1993 to 2017 (after separating in 2015). They have three children together.
In a 2019 interview, Hunter revealed that at that point, he was living off a monthly income of $4,000 after agreeing to pay his ex-wife $37,000 per month for 10 years when they divorced.
From 2016 to 2019, he dated his brother Beau's widow.
In May 2019, Hunter married South African filmmaker Melissa Cohen. They married 10 days after the meeting. They welcomed a son in March 2020.
In August 2018, a woman named Lunden Alexis Roberts gave birth to Hunter's child. In May 2023, Hunter appealed to a court in Arkansas, where Lunden and their child live, seeking to have his monthly support obligation lowered. In his filing, Hunter revealed that he was paying Lunden $20,000 per month and had paid her $750,000 up to that point.
