Hunter Biden pleads guilty to federal tax offenses to spare his family

Los Angeles – Hunter, the son of President Joe Biden, pleaded guilty to federal tax charges on Thursday, a surprise move he said was intended to spare his family another painful and embarrassing criminal trial after he was convicted of a weapons offense just months ago.

Hunter Biden's decision to plead guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges without the benefit of a deal with prosecutors came hours after jury selection was set to begin in the case in which he is accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.

The president's son faces prison time after being convicted of a weapons offense in June. The trial revealed unflattering and salacious details about his struggle with crack cocaine addiction. The tax trial was expected to reveal more potentially lurid evidence, as well as details about Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings, which Republicans are using to portray the Biden family as corrupt.

“I will not subject my family to any further pain, any further invasion of their privacy, or any unnecessary embarrassment,” Hunter Biden said in an emailed statement after entering his guilty plea. “After everything I have put them through over the years, I can spare them that, and that is why I have chosen to plead guilty.”

Although President Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential election mitigated the potential political impact of the tax case, the trial was expected to place a heavy emotional burden on the president in the final months of his five-decade political career.

“Hunter put his family first today and that was a brave and loving act on his part,” defense attorney Abbe Lowell told reporters outside federal court in Los Angeles.

Hunter Biden, 54, quickly answered “guilty” as the judge read all nine counts. The charges carry up to 17 years in prison, but federal sentencing guidelines likely call for a much shorter sentence. He faces fines of up to $1.35 million.

The verdict is scheduled for December 16 before U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, who was nominated by former President Donald Trump.

He will be sentenced in the Delaware case on November 13, a week after the general election. The charges are punishable by up to 25 years in prison, but he will likely receive a much shorter sentence or avoid prison altogether.

Hunter Biden showed no emotion as he walked out of the courthouse holding his wife's hand. He ignored reporters' questions, got into an SUV and drove away.