Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has reached an agreement to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor offenses of willfully failing to pay federal income taxes, according to a court filing on Tuesday. Additionally, Hunter Biden has also agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion agreement related to a federal felony charge of possessing a gun while being a user or addict of illegal drugs. This agreement typically results in the dismissal of the criminal charge if the defendant complies with the conditions of the deal within a specified period.
The date for Hunter’s initial court appearance in this case has not yet been scheduled, as confirmed by his defense attorney, Chris Clark. According to NBC News, sources familiar with Hunter’s plea deal revealed that U.S. Attorney for Delaware, David Weiss, plans to recommend probation as the sentence for the tax crimes.
David Weiss was appointed by former President Donald Trump and was allowed to continue his position after Joe Biden’s election to pursue an ongoing five-year criminal investigation involving the president’s son. Weaver’s office has filed two charging documents, known as informations, against Hunter — one for each tax crime and one for the firearm charge. These informations are commonly used by prosecutors when defendants agree to plead guilty.
The information charging Hunter with two tax crimes states that he had taxable income exceeding $1.5 million in both 2017 and 2018 but failed to pay income tax for those years. According to the filing, Hunter owed over $100,000 in taxes to the IRS for each of those years. The tax charges carry a maximum possible sentence of 12 months in prison.
In 2022, Hunter, who has struggled with substance abuse, voluntarily paid the federal income taxes he previously failed to pay for 2017 and 2018. This payment was seen as an attempt to limit the chances of facing criminal charges and decrease the potential sentence if charged.
Regarding the gun charge, the filing states that Hunter possessed a Colt Cobra .38-caliber revolver for an 11-day period in October 2018, despite knowing he was an unlawful user and addict of a controlled substance. The maximum possible sentence for the gun charge is 10 years in prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware issued a press release stating that the investigation is still ongoing, without providing further details. A memorandum summarizing the terms of Hunter’s plea agreement and the pretrial diversion deal will be publicly filed before his court appearance for the plea hearing.
The White House spokesperson, Ian Sams, responded to Hunter’s plea deal by expressing support for him and stating that the President and First Lady love their son. The Department of Justice did not comment on whether Attorney General Merrick Garland was involved in signing off on the charges.
Hunter’s defense lawyer, Chris Clark, released a statement acknowledging the agreements between Hunter and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He emphasized that Hunter will take responsibility for the two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments in accordance with the plea agreement. Clark added that a pretrial diversion agreement will also be filed for the firearm charge.
Former President Donald Trump criticized Hunter’s plea deal on his Truth Social site, describing it as the “corrupt Biden DOJ” clearing up criminal liability. Trump expressed his belief that the system is broken. He later mentioned the Hunter Biden scandal again on the platform.
Representative James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, also voiced criticism of the plea agreement. He pledged to continue the committee’s investigation into Hunter’s business dealings abroad and an alleged bribery scheme involving President Biden. Comer referred to the charges against Hunter as a “slap on the wrist” and highlighted the committee’s commitment to exposing the extent of President Biden’s involvement in the family’s alleged schemes.
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