To protect his family? Hunter Biden surprisingly pleads guilty in tax case
Hunter Biden has already been convicted once. In a second trial, the president's son is now pleading guilty to avert another trial and spare his family further drama.
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- US President's son Hunter Biden has surprisingly pleaded guilty in a trial for various tax offenses.
- The 54-year-old made the announcement in court in Los Angeles, averting a trial in the case at the last minute.
- The son of US President Joe Biden justified the move by saying that after long escapades, he wanted to spare his family another public trial with agonizing insights into his life of alcoholism and drug addiction.
US President's son Hunter Biden has surprisingly pleaded guilty in a trial for various tax offenses. The 54-year-old made the announcement in court in Los Angeles, averting a trial in the case at the last minute. The son of US President Joe Biden justified the move by saying that, after long escapades, he wanted to spare his family another public trial with agonizing insights into his life of alcoholism and drug addiction.
Although Hunter Biden is thus avoiding a trial in the case, he still has to worry about what sentence he will receive. The sentencing is scheduled for December 16. The US Department of Justice has announced that he faces up to 17 years in prison. However, the actual sentences for federal crimes are generally lower than the maximum sentences.
Turbulent session in court
Hunter Biden had previously pleaded not guilty in the case. His about-turn now came just before the start of the trial. The trial was actually supposed to begin on Thursday with the selection of the jury. But this will no longer happen.
The court session in Los Angeles turned out to be turbulent. Hunter Biden had initially surprised the court with a different legal move and proposed an unusual agreement with the judiciary: a deal in which the defendant would not plead guilty in the traditional sense, but at the same time acknowledge that the evidence in the case would probably lead to a guilty verdict. However, the public prosecutor rejected this. This was followed, also surprisingly, by Biden's regular guilty plea - but without any deal with the public prosecutor's office and therefore without a preliminary agreement to mitigate the sentence.
What is the case about?
In December, Hunter Biden was charged with several tax offenses. The 54-year-old is accused of failing to pay federal taxes properly for several years. He is accused of spending millions on an extravagant lifestyle instead of paying his taxes. Hunter Biden only paid his taxes retrospectively.
Specifically, it concerns the years 2016 to mid-October 2020 - i.e. until shortly before Joe Biden's election as President. According to the indictment, Hunter Biden recorded more than seven million dollars in income during this period. At the time, however, he had decided not to pay taxes but to spend the money on other things: "on drugs, hostesses and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing and other things of a personal nature, in short: on everything except his taxes".
The indictment listed exactly what Hunter Biden took in during those years - including through shady foreign transactions and opaque payments from a "personal friend". Above all, however, the meticulous list of delicate expenses - such as for sex clubs, strippers and "adult entertainment" - caused a great stir. Hunter Biden must have been very keen not to reveal such details publicly in a trial.
Guilty verdict in another trial
Hunter Biden was convicted of illegal possession of firearms in another criminal trial in June. In that case, he was accused of making false statements when purchasing a weapon in October 2018 and concealing his drug addiction at the time. He denied the allegations. The sentence in the weapons case is due to be announced on November 13.
The trial in Delaware brought a whole host of sensitive private matters into the public eye. Among other things, Hunter Biden's adult daughter Naomi had to provide information about her father's drug addiction - as did his brother's widow, with whom he had an affair after his death.
In a written statement published by several US media outlets, Hunter Biden addressed the first trial in detail. "I went to trial in Delaware with no idea of the pain this would cause my family, and I will not put them through this again," it said. "I will not put my family through more pain, more invasions of privacy and unnecessary embarrassment. After all I have put them through over the years, I can spare them that, and that is why I have decided to plead guilty."
Political burden for the father
Hunter Biden's lawyer Abbe Lowell said in Los Angeles that his client had made the decision "to protect those he loves from unnecessary hurt and cruel humiliation" and to prevent another "show trial". "This was a courageous and loving decision on his part."
The president's son has been making negative headlines for years: Alcohol addiction, drug addiction, questionable business dealings, legal disputes with an ex-stripper over child support for an illegitimate child. The latest legal problems are the culmination of a long series of escapades that have also put his father Joe Biden under political pressure. According to the media, Hunter Biden is the first child of a sitting US president to be found guilty in criminal proceedings at federal level.
Republicans have long used the son's stumbling for political attacks against the US President, who has since withdrawn from the election campaign for a second term for other reasons. Joe Biden has repeatedly stated publicly that he loves his son and is proud of him. However, the 81-year-old has also made it clear that he will not pardon him or mitigate his sentence. The White House spokeswoman emphasized on Thursday that this still applies.