Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine tax evasion charges, including three felonies, in a Los Angeles court on Thursday.
Judge Mark Scarsi informed Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, that he could face up to 15 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted on all three felony and six misdemeanor counts, according to the Daily Mail.
Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, explained that his client chose to plead guilty to avoid further complications for his family. “Your honor has basically indicated that there’s a need to address the public interest,” Lowell stated. “But Mr. Biden also has to address the private interest. This has been a difficult time for him and his family. Enough is enough.”
Initially, Biden’s legal team attempted to enter an “Alford plea,” which would allow him to plead guilty while still asserting his innocence. However, after a discussion with prosecutors, his attorneys agreed to a standard guilty plea.
Following a three-hour recess, Department of Justice prosecutor Leo Wise addressed the court, stating, “I want to make something crystal clear: the United States opposes an Alford plea. Hunter Biden is not innocent. Hunter Biden is guilty. He is not allowed special terms.” Wise emphasized that permitting Biden to plead guilty while maintaining his innocence would be an “injustice” and “contrary to the rule of law.”
The indictment, brought forth by Special Counsel David Weiss, alleges that Hunter Biden “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, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020.”
