Following a significant shift in direction, Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s only surviving son, is set to accept guilt for the allegations regarding federal tax-related charges lodged against him. This information was revealed by his attorney, Abbe Lowell, during proceedings on a recent Thursday. This development came as something of a twist, as it unfolded just prior to the anticipated commencement of Biden’s second legal confrontation of the year.
This unexpected turn of events position Hunter Biden as a notable figure in U.S. history. No other offspring of a seated president has ever been required to confront criminal charges before a court of law. Details about the specifications of this plea bargain have yet to be announced. There is also lingering uncertainty about whether the presiding judge will endorse his actions to bypass a courtroom trial, moving directly to the sentencing stage.
News of Biden’s intended plea broke not long after he and his legal team attended a private discussion with U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi. Judge Scarsi is currently overseeing the case. Biden, now 54 years old, was officially charged in December with a total of nine counts. There were three felonies and six misdemeanors included, all asserting Biden’s negligence in paying his taxes during a difficult phase in his life where he battled with drug addiction, and in the time after he managed to break free from it.
Notably, if the judge gives a nod to Biden’s intention to plead guilty, it will save him from the explicit thrashing that a public trial could expose him to. There prosecutors had been prepared to introduce over two dozen witnesses. It is expected that some of these individuals were prepared to provide potentially scandalous and embarrassing reveals about moments from Biden’s past involving indulgence in drug abuse and reckless expenditure.
As per the initial indictment, Biden has been alleged to actively engage in a systematic effort over a span of four years with the intention to avoid paying a minimum of $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes. This timeline spanned from January 2017 until about the middle of October 2020, coverings the tax years from 2016 to 2019. Further elaboration provided that he is accused of evading taxation assessment for the 2018 tax year by filing falsified returns around February of 2020.
An explicit detailing of the indictment posits that the money saved from unpaid taxes was spent on drugs, female companions, luxurious accommodations and vehicles, extravagant clothing items, as well as other miscellaneous personal luxuries. In essence, the indictment implied he had prioritized everything over fulfilling his tax responsibilities.
In addition, prosecutors further contend that Biden’s filed returns were not factual, labeling them as fraudulent. These claims stretched beyond straightforward tax evasion, involving allegations that Biden misrepresented payments made for personal indulgences and expenditures, such as a female escort, a strip club, a membership at a sexually-oriented club, a pornographic website subscription, as well as tuition and accommodation expenses for his daughter, as legitimate business expenses in an apparently deceptive maneuver.
In the past, Biden had reached a partial agreement with the prosecutors concerning related charges in the state of Delaware. However, this agreement did not hold up in court after the presiding judge expressed doubts about particular aspects of the agreement.
Under the disapproved agreement, Biden would have confessed to minor tax offense charges in exchange for a six-month probation recommendation. Further, a felony charge regarding the purchase of a firearm during his period of narcotics use would have been dropped after a period of two years, given Biden managed to stay clear of any legal issues during that time.
However, due to certain ‘atypical provisions’ which U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika identified in the agreement, she refused to approve it. One unusual stipulation in the agreement was that it potentially shielded Biden from prosecution on other tax-related offenses.
Following the failure to evaluate and conclude a revised agreement, the Special Counsel David Weiss’ office charged Biden with firearm-related charges in Delaware and expanded tax charges in California.
Further scrutiny ensued as Biden’s history of addictive behaviour played a central role in a separate case carried out by Weiss’ office in Delaware early this year. This resulted in Biden being convicted on three felony counts related to the possession of a firearm during narcotic usage.
He has been scheduled for sentencing for the past case this year on November 12. Biden has affirmed his intention to challenge the verdict in an appeal.