The son of US President Joe Biden can receive up to 17 years in prison for tax fraud.
Hunter Biden probably wants to avoid a public excavation of his private life. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax fraud.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to all nine counts in the case in federal court in Los Angeles. The news agencies AP and Reuters report on the matter, among others.
Judge Mark Scarsi told Hunter Biden that he could face up to 17 years in prison and a fine of 450,000 dollars (about 420,000 euros). Sentencing is scheduled for December 16.
An unusual passage
Usually, the accused try to negotiate a plea deal with the prosecutors. That was not the case this time. Earlier in the day, a surprise turn of events was seen in court.
Hunter Biden offered to accept a conviction in a tax fraud case on the condition that he be found not guilty.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers sought an agreement that is called an “Alford plea” in the United States.
It is an exceptional arrangement whereby the accused agrees to accept the sentence, but at the same time declares that he is innocent. However, the formally accused person admits to having committed crimes, which may have consequences in terms of future trials.
Federal prosecutors rushed to quash the plea. Prosecutors said they would not accept the deal.
– It is not clear to us what they are trying to do, one of the prosecutors told Judge Scars, according to the Reuters news agency.
Probable cause for confession
Hunter Biden probably wanted to avoid digging into his private affairs in public.
Because Hunter Biden pleaded guilty, he will be spared a trial where potentially embarrassing information about his private life would have been unearthed for a jury to consider.
Hunter Biden has previously denied being guilty of tax fraud.
According to prosecutors, Hunter Biden failed to pay $1.4 million (about 1.3 million euros) in taxes at the same time he squandered money on drugs, prostitutes and luxury goods. According to the prosecutors, the tax fraud dates to the years 2016–2019.
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