On Thursday, September 5th, Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. He stated that this surprising move was made to spare his family from the pain and embarrassment of another criminal trial.
Hunter appeared in a federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday, where jury selection was scheduled to begin. However, he unexpectedly offered to enter an “Alford plea,” admitting that the prosecution’s evidence was sufficient to find him guilty but denying any wrongdoing.
This decision clearly caught the prosecution off guard. The prosecutors in court stated that they would not accept this request. Following a break in the hearing, Hunter’s lawyer announced that he had decided to plead guilty to nine federal charges.
Judge Mark Scarsi informed Hunter that he could face up to 17 years in prison and fines of up to $1.3 million. The sentencing for this case is set for December 16th.
In a statement released after the hearing, Hunter expressed that his guilty plea was to spare his family from enduring another trial that would expose the intimate details of his drug use and personal life.
“I won’t let my family suffer more pain, have their privacy invaded, and face unnecessary embarrassment,” Hunter said. “I have put them through so much over the years, I can spare them this pain, so I decided to plead guilty.”
He added that he had paid the taxes owed.
After being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm in June of this year, Hunter may already be facing jail time. A tax trial would present more evidence, including details of Hunter’s overseas business transactions.
This guilty plea marks the end of a weeks-long trial that was originally set to coincide with the peak of the election campaign activities.
Hunter has openly admitted to struggling with addiction issues in the past. According to the indictment, he was accused of not paying taxes between 2016 and 2019, while spending significant sums on “drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rentals, exotic cars, clothing, and other personal items.”
The trial could also expose his involvement with the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma during his father’s vice presidency and other business deals. Republicans believe that these business activities may be riddled with corruption.
The indictment states that Hunter received “substantial income” from his positions on the board of Burisma and a Chinese private equity fund.
Prosecutors had planned to present evidence related to Hunter’s work for a Romanian businessman, who allegedly attempted to “influence US government policy” during Joe Biden’s vice presidency.
Hunter denies any improper business dealings, and a Republican-led congressional investigation did not find direct evidence of wrongdoing involving President Biden.
Hunter is appealing the guilty verdict in the illegal firearm case in Delaware, where he was charged with buying guns while addicted to drugs.
This conviction means that if the tax charges hold up, he may face harsher penalties as a repeat offender.
As Hunter left the court holding his wife’s hand, he showed no emotion. He ignored questions from reporters and got into an SUV, driving away.
The White House has stated that President Biden has ruled out the possibility of pardoning his son.