Published 8 September 2024 at 13.34
Foreign. Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, somewhat surprisingly chose to plead guilty to all nine charges in a tax fraud trial on Thursday, American CBS reports.
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The confession was made in a Los Angeles court where the jury was just beginning to be selected for the trial.
Biden now faces a potential prison term of up to 17 years, with sentencing pending on December 16.
During the day of the trial, Biden first tried to reach a so-called Alford plea, in which he would plead guilty without admitting responsibility.
However, the prosecution opposed this, calling it a «mockery of justice». Prosecutors insisted that Hunter Biden was not innocent and that he did not deserve special treatment.
Hunter Biden was charged in December with evading at least $1.4 million in federal taxes.
p>The indictment describes how between 2016 and 2019 he earned over 7 million dollars through business activities abroad but burned the money on luxury, drugs, prostitutes, hotel bills and more, instead of declaring and paying taxes.
In his statement Hunter Biden explained that he could not subject his family to more suffering and public humiliation, and therefore pleaded guilty.
He also admitted that his partying and drug habits contributed to his inability to pay his taxes in time.
The political dimension of the case diminished after President Joe Biden announced that he would not run for re-election.
However, there has been speculation that the president will pardon his son before his term is ending, something the White House has so far denied.