Hunter Biden pleads guilty in Los Angeles tax evasion trial

Hunter Biden is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, shortly after the 2024 US presidential election on November 5.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to all nine counts in his criminal tax case in a federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Hunter Biden, 54, was charged in California in December with nine counts related to a Justice Department investigation into his taxes. Federal prosecutors accused him of evading at least $1.4 million in tax payments.

President Biden’s only surviving son had pleaded not guilty in the case, but a lawyer for him announced in court Thursday that Hunter Biden planned to change his plea of ​​not guilty before the start of his trial.

Hunter Biden’s surprise decision to plead guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges without the benefit of a plea deal came hours after jury selection was supposed to begin in the case, according to television station NBC Los Angeles.

Hunter Biden quickly answered “guilty” as the judge read each of the nine charges, the television station reported, adding that the charges carry up to 17 years behind bars, but federal sentencing guidelines will likely call for a much shorter sentence.

His sentencing is scheduled for December 16, shortly after the 2024 US presidential election on November 5.

In June, Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony gun charges in a separate case. His conviction is related to purchasing a firearm in 2018 while addicted to crack cocaine, marking the first time in U.S. history that the son of a sitting president has been convicted of a crime.