LOS ANGELES/Xinhua
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, pleaded guilty to all nine counts in his criminal tax case in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Hunter Biden, 54, was charged in California last December with nine counts related to a Justice Department investigation into his taxes. Federal prosecutors accused him of evading at least $1.4 million in taxes.
While President Biden’s only surviving son had pleaded not guilty in the case, one of his lawyers announced in court Thursday that Hunter Biden planned to change his plea of not guilty before the start of the trial.
Hunter Biden’s surprise decision to plead guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges without the benefit of a plea deal came hours after jury selection was supposed to begin in the case, according to NBC television in Los Angeles.
Hunter Biden quickly answered “guilty” as the judge read aloud each of the nine charges, the television network reported, adding that the charges carry up to 17 years behind bars but that federal sentencing guidelines are likely to call for a much shorter sentence.
His sentencing is scheduled for December 16, shortly after the 2024 US presidential election on November 5.
Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony firearms charges in a separate case in June. His conviction is related to purchasing a firearm in 2018 while addicted to crack cocaine, making it the first time in U.S. history that the son of a sitting president has been convicted of a crime.
#Hunter #Biden #pleads #guilty #Los #Angeles #tax #evasion #trial
