Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, pleaded guilty on Thursday to all nine counts of tax evasion, Reuters reports.
The surprise move allows him to avoid trial weeks before the US presidential election. Americans will choose on November 5 between Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, and former President Donald Trump, a Republican. Joe Biden dropped his bid for re-election in July under pressure from his fellow Democrats. Before that, he was adamant that if he was re-elected, he would not pardon his son.
Biden was arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles on criminal charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes.
Judge Mark Scarci told Biden he faces up to 17 years in prison and up to $450,000 in fines. He scheduled sentencing for December 16.
Defendants who plead guilty in criminal cases usually sign an agreement with prosecutors beforehand. So they hope to get a lower sentence in exchange for avoiding a trial. That doesn’t seem to be the case.
Earlier in the day, Biden offered to plead guilty to the charges but avoid admitting wrongdoing. It’s an unusual legal maneuver that prosecutors objected to.
Hunter Biden is accused of tax evasion between 2016 and 2019, according to the indictment.
During the same period, he spent huge sums “on drugs, prostitutes, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothes, and other personal items.” That’s what the indictment says.
The trial may also shed light on his work with Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma and other business deals while his father served as vice president. The president’s Republican enemies have long accused him of corruption.
Hunter Biden has denied any improper business dealings, and Republican-led congressional investigations have not directly implicated his father in any wrongdoing.
He is appealing a conviction in a separate case in Delaware for illegally buying a gun while on drugs. The sentence means he could face a stiffer sentence in the tax case if convicted.
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