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Joe Biden’s Son, Hunter Pleads Guilty To Charges In Tax Evasion Case

Published

4 months ago

Sep 6, 2024.

Dennis

Hunter Biden has pleaded guilty to all nine charges in his federal tax evasion case, surprising federal prosecutors who were gearing up for his trial.

The 54-year-old son of US President Joe Biden had previously denied deliberately evading $1.4 million (£1 million) in income taxes for the years 2016-2019.

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Initially, Biden sought a plea deal where he would acknowledge the charges while asserting his innocence, but he ultimately agreed to a straightforward guilty plea after prosecutors objected.

This plea follows his recent conviction in a separate case for gun possession and drug use, making him the first son of a sitting US president to be criminally convicted.

A last-minute development, Hunter Biden’s tax case was upended on Thursday just as jury selection was about to commence in a Los Angeles court.

Over 100 potential jurors had assembled for the selection process when the reversal was announced.

The prosecution, representing the Justice Department, expressed surprise at Biden’s Alford plea and was hesitant to accept a deal that allowed him to maintain his innocence. Lead prosecutor Leo Wise asserted, “Hunter Biden is not innocent. Hunter Biden is guilty. We came to court today to try this case.”

After the prosecution read aloud the 56-page indictment, the judge asked Biden if he admitted to every charge. Biden responded affirmatively.

Biden had previously attempted to dismiss the case, alleging that the Justice Department’s investigation was politically motivated and aimed at impeaching his father. Prosecutors also sought to introduce evidence regarding Biden’s overseas business dealings, which have been investigated by Republican lawmakers for alleged influence-peddling—a claim the White House denies.

Judge Scarsi, appointed by former President Donald Trump, rejected Biden’s arguments against the special counsel, David Weiss, and dismissed claims of unlawful appointment.

Biden faced three felony tax charges and six misdemeanours, including failure to file and pay taxes, tax evasion, and filing false returns. The indictment detailed how Biden earned $7 million from foreign business dealings between 2016 and 2019, spending nearly $5 million on non-tax-related expenses such as drugs, escorts, luxury hotels, cars, and clothing, which he misclassified as business expenses.

Prosecutors described Biden’s actions as part of a “four-year scheme,” noting that he had sufficient funds each year to pay his taxes but chose not to.

President Biden did not address reporters’ questions about his son’s case upon returning to the White House from an official trip to Wisconsin.

Earlier, Hunter Biden had agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanour tax offenses in Delaware last year, but that agreement fell apart after a judge deemed parts of it unusual. This case is his second federal criminal case this year, following his June conviction on felony charges related to his purchase of a revolver in 2018 while struggling with drug addiction and lying about his drug use on a federal form.

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