Hunter Biden Shocks Prosecutors By Switching To a Guilty Plea

In a shocking move at the Los Angeles Federal Courthouse on Thursday, President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, pled guilty to nine counts of federal tax charges, reversing his not guilty plea from earlier this year and facing up to 17 years in prison and up to $1.3 million in fines.

According to an indictment from December 2023, Biden faces one count of felony tax evasion, two counts of felony filing a false tax return, four misdemeanor counts of failing to pay federal taxes, and two counts of failing to file federal taxes. In total, Biden stands accused of not paying a grand total of $1.4 million in taxes during this time despite evidence that he had spent millions on maintaining a luxurious lifestyle. And with him pleading guilty, Biden faces up to 17 years in prison.

“The Defendant engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019,” the indictment said, which was filed last year at the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles. “Instead, the defendant spent huge sums on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, including over $70,000 on drug rehabilitation.

“The Defendant had a legal obligation to pay taxes on all his income, including income earned in Ukraine from his service on Burisma’s Board, fees generated by deal-making with the Chinese private equity fund, as well as income derived from his work as a lawyer and other sources. In 2018 alone, Hunter Biden spent more than $1.8 million, including approximately $772,000 in cash withdrawals, approximately $383,000 in payments to women, approximately $151,000 in clothing and accessories. The Defendant did not use any of these funds to pay his taxes in 2018.”

While Biden’s legal team mounted a defense following the charges being announced, saying that the taxes were repaid two years ago and that the charges were unfair, the fact that a grand jury returned an indictment meant that a court date in Los Angeles. In January, Biden pled not guilty to all nine counts, with the trial set to begin in June. However, Biden’s team successfully petitioned the judge for a delay, moving the trial to begin instead on September 5th. Jury selection began on Thursday, leading to what most legal commentators said would be a long trial.

Biden pleads guilty on all 9 counts

However, in the midst of this, Hunter’s legal team soon came forward, telling the judge that Biden now wants a guilty plea on all 9 counts. Even more surprising, it is an “open plea”, or a plea change made without a deal from prosecutors.  While nothing was said to as why Biden’s change of heart at the courthouse, after the hearings, Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, explained that “Hunter Biden put his family first today, and it was a grave and loving thing to do, instead of subjecting them to another public trial about his addiction and family dysfunction. After watching prosecutors who exploit his family’s grief during the Delaware trial and realizing they were planning to do it again in California, Hunter decided to enter his plea to protect those he loves from unnecessary hurt and cruel humiliation. This plea prevents that kind of show trial that would have not provided all the facts or served any real point in justice.”

The plea surprised prosecutors, who were expecting a long trial. Prosecutors actually had no forewarning and found out when everyone else learned it in court.

“We were as shocked as everyone else in the courtroom this morning,” said prosecutor Leo Wise.

Initially, Biden’s team attempted to enter an “Alford plea,”, where Biden would accept that prosecutors would have enough to convict him but also maintain that he was innocent.  However, the judge said he would need time to review an Alford Plea, with Prosecutors vigorously opposing it.

“I want to make something crystal clear – the United States opposes an Alford plea,” added Wise. “Hunter Biden is not innocent. Hunter Biden is guilty. He is not permitted to plead guilty on special terms.”

Biden’s team subsequently retreated from that kind of plea, and settled on the open plea. After the all day back and forth, sentencing was announced by the Judge to be held on December 16th, well after the 2024 election. Biden now faces up to 17 years in prison and up to $1.3 million in fines. That is on top of what he receives for the Delaware trial he is also part of, where he could get 25 additional years behind bars. He also cannot rely upon a pardon by his father, President Biden, as his office has denied that they would multiple times.

“It’s no, it’s still no,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday. “I’m not able to comment on it, but I can say that it is still very much a ‘no’ to the questions I have gotten about if the president is going to pardon Hunter.”

With Hunter Biden now likely to get jail time or fines from the combined California and Delaware cases, legal experts told the Globe on Thursday that more curveballs can come.

“There is no way President Biden would pardon his son,” explained Monte Schmidt, a tax law specialist, to the Globe on Thursday. “It would hurt the party and destroy his legacy even more than it is now.

“The big question is now what exactly Hunter Biden will get. We were all expecting a long trial. You know, L.A. always gets a huge national trial a few times a decade, and this would have been one of them. It’s pretty obvious that he won’t just get a slap on the wrist. Jail time is likely as is a huge fine. But how much of each, as well as seeing if the jailtime is turned into something else, will be looming. All eyes are on L.A. in December with that. And by then either Harris or Trump will need to seriously comment on that. For Harris, it would need to be defending President Biden from what his son did. And Trump, well, it would just be part of his victory lap.”

Biden is set to be sentenced in Los Angeles on December 16th.