Newsman: President Joe Biden’s son Hunter has reached a deal with federal prosecutors on charges he failed to pay federal income tax and illegally possessed a weapon, according to a letter in U.S. District Court in Delaware, and will plead guilty to tax offenses but likely avoid time behind bars.
Hunter Biden will plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax offenses as part of the agreement made public in a court filing June 20th, Tuesday. The agreement will spare him prosecution on a charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user if he adheres to conditions set by prosecutors. It is somewhat unusual to resolve a federal criminal case at the same time the charges are filed in court, though it is not totally unheard of.
The deal ends a long-running Justice Department investigation into Biden’s second son, who has acknowledged struggling with addiction following the 2015 death of his brother Beau Biden.
prosecutors in the US Attorney’s office in Delaware said the son of President Joe Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two criminal counts for failing to pay income tax.
As part of the plea agreement, the Justice Department has agreed to recommend a sentence of probation for the two counts of failing to pay taxes in a timely matter for the years 2017 and 2018, according to sources. Hunter Biden owed at least $100,000 in federal taxes for 2017, and at least $100,000 in 2018, but did not pay what was due to the Internal Revenue Service by the deadlines.
A judge will have the final say on any sentence.
Prosecutors also brought a charge against Hunter Biden for being in possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. According to the filing, Biden agreed to enter a pretrial diversion program for that charge, meaning that prosecutors reserve the right to dismiss it at a later date if Biden seeks treatment.
It isn’t yet clear when Biden will be required to show up in court to enter his guilty plea. Any plea deal would also have to be approved by a federal judge in Delaware, where the case was brought.
Prosecutors also brought a charge against Hunter Biden for being in possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. According to the filing, Biden agreed to enter a pretrial diversion program for that charge, meaning that prosecutors reserve the right to dismiss it at a later date if Biden seeks treatment.
The gun charge, if prosecutors decide to bring it to trial, carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, according to a filing. Biden held on to a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver for less than two weeks before his then-girlfriend threw it away, according to the Washington Post.
The charges were detailed in a criminal filing in US District Court in Delaware, where the US Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee, has been conducting the investigation that at one time explored allegations of money laundering, foreign lobbying and other potential charges.
The investigation is ongoing, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
But Hunter Biden’s attorney, Christopher Clark, said in a statement that the deal with federal prosecutors will “resolve” the Justice Department’s long-running criminal probe into the president’s son.
“Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due pursuant to a plea agreement,” Clark said. “A firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and will not be the subject of the plea agreement, will also be filed by the Government. I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
In a brief statement, the White House said the Bidens “love their son.”
“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment,” said White House spokesman Ian Sams.
It isn’t yet clear when Biden will be required to show up in court to enter his guilty plea. Any plea deal would also have to be approved by a federal judge in Delaware, where the case was brought.
The gun charge, if prosecutors decide to bring it to trial, carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, according to a filing. Biden held on to a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver for less than two weeks before his then-girlfriend threw it away, according to the Washington Post.
Hunter Biden has openly discussed his substance abuse, a struggle that was put in vivid detail after some news outlets published photos and emails from his laptop. In his 2021 memoir, Biden wrote at length about using crack and the various ways he tried to scheme around drug tests while he was using — these admissions in the memoir helped fuel the gun charge that Biden ended up facing.
David Weiss, the US Attorney in Delaware, opened the investigation in 2018 during now-former President Donald Trump’s administration. Hunter Biden reportedly failed to pay around $1.2 million in taxes in 2017 and 2018, but his attorneys say he has since paid the IRS the money in full. While US Attorneys typically resign en masse with each new presidential administration, the Justice Department under Biden asked Weiss to remain in his role.
Hunter Biden has openly discussed his substance abuse, a struggle that was put in vivid detail after some news outlets published photos and emails from his laptop. In his 2021 memoir, Biden wrote at length about using crack and the various ways he tried to scheme around drug tests while he was using — these admissions in the memoir helped fuel the gun charge that Biden ended up facing.
David Weiss, the US Attorney in Delaware, opened the investigation in 2018 during now-former President Donald Trump’s administration. Hunter Biden reportedly failed to pay around $1.2 million in taxes in 2017 and 2018, but his attorneys say he has since paid the IRS the money in full. While US Attorneys typically resign en masse with each new presidential administration, the Justice Department under Biden asked Weiss to remain in his role.
In a statement, the president and first lady expressed their continuing support for their son.
David Weiss, the US Attorney in Delaware, opened the investigation in 2018 during now-former President Donald Trump’s administration. Hunter Biden reportedly failed to pay around $1.2 million in taxes in 2017 and 2018, but his attorneys say he has since paid the IRS the money in full. While US Attorneys typically resign en masse with each new presidential administration, the Justice Department under Biden asked Weiss to remain in his role.
“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life,” White House spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement after the news broke. “We will have no further comment.”
