For the second time in three months, Hunter Biden has been convicted of federal charges after unexpectedly pleading guilty to dodging $1.4 million in taxes. The surprise move came Thursday, the same day jury selection was set to begin in Los Angeles. This guilty plea follows his previous conviction on felony gun charges in June.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden and a figure of controversy, chose to plead guilty to all nine charges against him in an effort to avoid another trial that would have exposed details of his lavish spending on strippers, pornography, luxury hotels, and exotic cars. In a statement, Hunter Biden expressed his desire to shield his family from further public scrutiny, saying, “I will not subject my family to more pain, more invasions of privacy and needless embarrassment.”
According to the *New York Post*, despite his guilty plea, which was not part of any agreement with prosecutors, Hunter Biden still faces up to 17 years in prison for the tax-related charges and up to 25 years for the gun charges. However, he is expected to receive a lighter sentence in both cases.
The New York Post reports that during trial preparations, Los Angeles prosecutors had planned to present evidence showing that Biden spent money on strippers and pornography while evading taxes between 2016 and 2019. Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, initially sought to have Biden enter an Alford plea, a legal maneuver allowing a defendant to plead guilty while maintaining innocence. However, prosecutors rejected this approach, asserting they had overwhelming evidence against him.
Prosecutor Leo Wise emphasized, “Hunter Biden is not innocent. Hunter Biden is guilty.” Even Lowell acknowledged the strength of the government’s case, stating, “This has been a difficult moment for him and especially his family.”
After lengthy hearings, Judge Mark Scarsi allowed Biden to enter a standard guilty plea. Hunter Biden admitted to committing every element of the crimes he was charged with and pleaded guilty to each charge. He will be sentenced on December 16, more than a month after the presidential election.
This legal development follows a collapsed plea deal in June 2023, in which Hunter Biden had hoped to avoid prison time by pleading to misdemeanor tax offenses. The deal fell apart when his lawyers insisted on blanket immunity, which neither prosecutors nor the judge would agree to.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles have overshadowed his father’s political career, with the younger Biden facing scrutiny over alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act related to business deals with entities in China, Mexico, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine during and after Joe Biden’s time as vice president.
Lowell criticized the government’s decision to pursue the tax case against Biden, arguing that his client’s tax issues stemmed from his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. He also noted that Hunter Biden had already paid his overdue taxes with interest and penalties before being charged.
Hunter Biden, a father of five, is scheduled to be sentenced in the gun case on November 13, just days after the presidential election. Lowell described Biden’s decision to plead guilty as an effort to protect his loved ones from further humiliation, stating, “This plea prevents that kind of show trial that would not have provided all the facts or served any real point in justice.”
