President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, has settled with federal prosecutors on charges of failure to pay federal income tax and illegal possession of a weapon, according to a letter filed in US District Court. .UU. in Delaware. The lawyer will plead guilty to tax crimes, but will likely avoid spending time behind bars.
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Hunter Biden will plead guilty to the tax crimes as part of a plea bargain made public on Tuesday, June 20. The agreement will prevent him from being prosecuted for a charge of illegal possession of a firearm as a drug user if he abides by the conditions established by prosecutors. It is unusual to settle a federal criminal case at the same time charges are filed in court, although it is not totally unheard of.
The agreement ends a lengthy Justice Department investigation into Biden’s second son, who has acknowledged battling addiction after the 2015 death of his brother Beau Biden.
Hunter also avoids a trial that would have generated days or weeks or distracting headlines for a White House that has vigorously sought to keep its distance from the Justice Department.
A person familiar with the investigation said the The Justice Department would recommend probation for the tax charges, which means Hunter Biden will not spend time behind bars. But the decision to accept a settlement is up to the judge.
Breaking News: Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and can avoid prosecution on a gun charge. https://t.co/8fqEM9a8vI
—The New York Times (@nytimes) June 20, 2023
Christopher Clark, an attorney for Hunter Biden, said in a statement that it was his understanding that the five-year investigation had now been resolved.
“I know Hunter believes it’s important to take responsibility for these mistakes you made during a turbulent and addictive period in your life,” Clark said. “He is looking forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward,” added the lawyer.
Hunter Biden, in the sights of the Republicans
The news comes as congressional Republicans continue their own investigations into nearly every facet of Hunter Biden’s dealings, including examining foreign payments and other aspects of his finances.
It also comes days after a 37-count indictment was unsealed against former President Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, another case with even more dramatic political implications.
The president and first lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life
Joe Biden has also faced questions about his son’s business dealings and his drug addiction.
“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life,” the White House counsel’s office said in a statement.
A high-impact court case in a polarizing electoral context
The weapons possession charge states that Hunter Biden had a handgun, a Colt Cobra 38 Special, despite knowing he was using drugs for 11 days in October 2018. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but the The Justice Department said Hunter Biden had reached a pretrial plea bargain on that charge. Full details were not immediately released.
The petty tax offenses to which Hunter Biden will plead guilty are much narrower in scope than the charges that have been pursued for years by congressional Republicans, whose investigations include examining foreign payments and other aspects of his finances.
The deal comes as the Justice Department pursues what is perhaps the most consequential case in its history against Trump, the first former president to face federal criminal charges.
That allegation has already sparked an avalanche of criticism from Republicans, accusations of “politicizing” the Justice Department and a renewed crescendo of questions about Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has said the allegations against Trump come from a special counsel he specifically appointed to keep the investigation independent. Hunter Biden’s charges, meanwhile, were brought by Trump-appointed Delaware federal prosecutor David Weiss.
The Justice Department’s investigation came to light in December 2020, a month after the presidential election, when Hunter Biden revealed that he had received a subpoena as part of the department’s scrutiny of his taxes. The subpoena sought information about the younger Biden’s dealings with a number of entities, including Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company whose board he was on.
Hunter Biden said in a statement then that he was “confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers.”
