Hunter (54) is accused of not paying $1.4 million in taxes over the past decade.
The trial was expected to reveal details of Hunter’s life, which the defendant and his family, including his father, Joe Biden, have acknowledged was deviant from its normal course.
Biden’s conviction could result in up to 17 years in prison. The felony firearms charge, for which he has not yet been convicted, carries a maximum sentence of 25 years.
plead guilty
But as Judge Mark Scarsi prepared Thursday morning to oversee jury selection, Biden’s lawyers said their client was prepared to plead guilty.
Attorney Abbe Lowell said Biden is willing to take a plea deal, though he will continue to maintain his innocence.
This type of deal is offered when the accused realizes that the trial will likely end in his conviction, even if he maintains his innocence.
It is not yet clear whether the guilty plea will apply to all nine tax-related charges (three felonies and six misdemeanors) related to failure to pay taxes.
Scarsi announced a recess to allow prosecutors to discuss the move. The court is expected to reconvene later Thursday.
Drug addiction and tax evasion
Hunter Biden spent part of 2024 in court, convicted in Delaware of lying about his drug use when he purchased a firearm, a felony.
Hunter’s lawyers insist he is in court solely for his identity.
His defense team says the failure to pay taxes was simply negligence due to his chaotic life, which included drug addiction and the trauma of losing his older brother, Beau, who died in 2015.
Biden paid his back taxes and fines imposed by the authorities and had previously reached a deal to stay out of prison, but that agreement collapsed at the last minute and it appears that Biden has been trying to reach another deal ever since.
But that’s tough for prosecutors in an election year, with Republicans watching their every move and saying the defendant is being treated leniently because he’s the president’s son.
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