AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to three felonies and six misdemeanors related to tax evasion in court on Thursday, switching his plea from not guilty in an effort to avoid a potentially embarrassing trial.
In a press release, the Department of Justice announced Biden had pleaded guilty to nine tax offenses in a Los Angeles courthouse and would now face sentencing on Dec. 16, more than one month after the 2024 presidential election.
While Biden faces a maximum of 17 years in prison, the Department of Justice acknowledged that “actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.”
The Department of Justice noted that according to the indictment, “Hunter Biden engaged in a four-year scheme in which he chose not to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019 and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns.”
During this time, Biden allegedly “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” failed to pay his taxes on time “despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes,” and “included false business deductions.”
According to the Washington Post, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi asked Biden if he understood that pleading guilty could result in him spending nearly two decades behind bars and losing the right in certain states to run for office.
“Biden responded that he understood the implications,” the Washington Post reported.
Biden reportedly attempted to enter into an Alford plea, which would have allowed him to plead guilty while also maintaining his innocence, but was rejected.
