- Hunter Biden pleads guilty in tax case
- The plea comes as a surprise to federal prosecutors who were preparing for the trial
- He was accused of evading $1.4 million in income taxes between 2016 and 2019
Hunter Biden pleads guilty in tax case
Hunter Biden has unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all nine federal tax evasion charges against him, just as his trial was about to begin. The plea comes as a surprise to federal prosecutors who were preparing for the trial.
Biden, the 54-year-old son of President Joe Biden, was accused of evading $1.4 million in income taxes between 2016 and 2019. He had previously denied intentionally avoiding taxes but changed his plea after prosecutors objected to his initial proposal of pleading guilty while maintaining his innocence.
This development follows Biden’s conviction three months ago in a separate case related to gun possession and drug use, making him the first son of a sitting US president to be criminally convicted.
The guilty plea was announced in a Los Angeles court on Thursday, as jury selection was about to commence. Over 100 potential jurors had assembled for the process.
Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, explained that his client chose to avoid a trial to spare his family from having to testify about his past struggles with addiction. Judge Mark Scarsi noted that Biden faces up to 17 years in prison and fines between $500,000 and $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for December 16, a month after the White House election and shortly before President Biden leaves office.