Hunter Biden enters guilty plea in federal tax fraud case
- Hunter Biden was accused of not paying at least $1.4 million in taxes
- His sentencing after guilty plea is set for Dec. 16
- President's son previously pleaded not guilty
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(NewsNation) — Hunter Biden entered a guilty plea Thursday in his federal tax case, meaning he will avoid what would have likely been a highly publicized trial.
His sentencing is set for Dec. 16. Judge Mark Scarsi said Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison and up to $450,000 in penalties.
The tax trial, which was originally set to begin Thursday with jury selection, involved charging President Joe Biden’s son with a four-year scheme to avoid paying at least $1.4 million in taxes while pulling in millions from foreign business entities.
Hunter Biden had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges related to his taxes from 2016 to 2019. His attorneys argued he didn’t act “willfully” or with intent to break the law, citing his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.
But defense attorney Abbe Lowell told the judge Thursday that the evidence against Hunter Biden was “overwhelming” and that the president’s son wanted to resolve the case with what’s referred to as an Alford plea, under which a defendant maintains their innocence but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to secure a conviction.
Prosecutors urged Scarsi to reject the proposed Alford plea deal, saying Hunter Biden “is not entitled to plead guilty on special terms that apply only to him.”
“Hunter Biden is not innocent. Hunter Biden is guilty,” prosecutor Leo Wise said.
Instead of an Alford plea, Hunter Biden ended up taking an open plea, CNN wrote.
What is Hunter Biden charged with?
Hunter Biden faces nine federal counts for failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019, though the money has since been paid.
He’s also facing potential prison time after a Delaware jury convicted him in June of lying on a 2018 federal form to buy a gun, which he possessed for 11 days.
A plea deal and diversion agreement that would have prevented both trials collapsed in July 2023 under a judge’s questioning. Shortly after, a special counsel indicted Hunter Biden, splitting the deal into the Delaware gun charges and the California tax case.
Sentencing in the Delaware conviction is set for Nov. 13. Biden could face up to 25 years in prison, but as a first-time offender, he’s likely to receive less time or avoid prison entirely.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
