In a surprise switch, Hunter Biden said Thursday he plans to plead guilty in his tax evasion trial, in which he is charged with failing to pay over a million dollars in federal taxes while spending lavishly on drugs, escorts, and luxury hotels.
The president’s son had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges in January, and his legal team has made multiple requests to have the case dismissed, which the court has denied. Biden's lawyers, minutes before jury selection began on Thursday, proposed an Alford plea in which a defendant maintains their innocence but admits the prosecution’s evidence would likely lead to a guilty verdict, according to the Washington Post.
The court rejected Biden's Alford plea, which prosecutors—who first heard of the reversal in open court—strongly opposed.
"I want to make crystal clear: the U.S. opposes an Alford plea. … Hunter Biden is not innocent. Hunter Biden is guilty. And he's not allowed to plead guilty on special terms that only apply to him," Special Counsel Leo Wise said.
The president's son then agreed to an open plea, offering to plead guilty to all nine charges against him. A guilty plea would mean Biden could face up to 15 years in prison, fines of up to $1 million, and he would lose the right to run for public office in some states, the Washington Post reported. Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, emphasized the need to "get this done" for the sake of the Biden family, according to legal affairs reporter Meghann Cuniff.
After a six-year federal investigation, the first son was charged last December with three felony and six misdemeanor tax offenses for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes over three years. During that time, Biden spent huge sums "on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature," according to the December indictment.
In June, Biden was found guilty of three felony gun charges, which he is appealing. The first son could face up to 21 months in prison for his gun charges and up to 17 years in prison if convicted of tax evasion. President Joe Biden promised not to pardon his son.
The evidence in the tax evasion case is also expected to highlight the younger Biden’s foreign business dealings, which could implicate the president. President Biden has repeatedly denied any connection to his son’s business, but evidence shows that Biden profited from his son’s overseas business dealings.