Hunter Biden, the 54-year-old son of US President Joe Biden, unexpectedly pleaded guilty to nine counts of tax evasion in a federal court in Los Angeles on September 5, 2024. This surprise move came without a plea deal with prosecutors, catching them off guard.The charges stem from Biden’s failure to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019. According to the indictment, Biden spent the money on an ‘extravagant lifestyle’ including ‘drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature’.Biden faces up to 17 years in prison and potential fines of up to $1.3 million. The sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2024, after the November presidential election.In a statement, Biden said he pleaded guilty to spare his family from having to attend a trial that would have revealed ‘confusing details’ about a period of his life when he struggled with addiction. His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, described the decision as ‘a brave and loving act’ to protect his loved ones from further pain and humiliation.This guilty plea comes after a previous conviction in June for illegal firearm possession, for which he could face up to 25 years in prison. Biden is the first child of a sitting US president to be convicted of a federal crime.The case has political implications, although these have been somewhat reduced by President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek re-election. The White House has reiterated that President Biden will not pardon his son. Republican politicians have long used Hunter Biden’s scandals to attack his father.
Key points
- Hunter Biden unexpectedly pleaded guilty to nine counts of tax evasion without a plea deal.
- He faces up to 17 years in prison and $1.
- The sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2024, after the November presidential election.
- President Joe Biden has announced he will not seek re-election and will not pardon his son.
3 million in fines for failing to pay $1.
4 million in taxes.
Contradictionsđź‘ľSome sources report the maximum prison sentence as 17 years, while others mention 25 years, likely including the potential sentence from his previous firearm conviction.
