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By Rachel Dobkin
Weekend Reporter
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Hunter Biden on Thursday pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in Los Angeles, surprising prosecutors and avoiding a second criminal trial.
President Biden's son was indicted in California last December on three felony counts of tax evasion and filing a false return and six misdemeanor counts of failure to return. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accused Hunter Biden of not paying at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes between 2016 and 2019 and evading the assessment of taxes in 2018 when he filed false returns.
Hunter Biden originally pleaded not guilty to all charges, but during the first day of trial on Thursday, he offered a plea in which he maintains his innocence but acknowledges that the prosecution has enough evidence to convict him.
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This type of arrangement is known as an "Alford plea" and would need approval from U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, who is overseeing the case. Prosecutors said they needed to talk about the arrangement, which they had not been told of in advance. After a recess, Scarsi he would "need a reason why I accept or reject a plea."
Abbe Lowell, Biden's lawyer, then told the judge that his client would simply plead guilty to the charges against him.
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Biden walked into the Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday, holding hands with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden. His wife also stood by him during his trial for unrelated gun charges a few months ago.
In June, a Delaware jury convicted Biden of lying about his drug use on a 2018 federal form to purchase a gun that he had for 11 days. At the time, Lowell said they were "naturally disappointed" by the verdict and would "vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available."
Sentencing for his gun conviction is scheduled for November 13. Biden could get a maximum of 25 years in prison, but he is likely to get far less time or avoid prison entirely since he is a first-time offender.
Biden's attorneys previously indicated that they would argue in his tax trial that he didn't act "willfully" or didn't intend to break the law, in part because of his past drug and alcohol addiction. Biden's 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things, has a strong focus on his lifelong struggles with alcohol and drugs, particularly crack cocaine.
However, Scarsi restricted Biden's attorneys from connecting his addiction to the death of his older brother Beau Biden, who died from cancer in 2015, or the death of his mother, Neilia Hunter, and baby sister, Naomi Biden, both of whom died in a car accident when Hunter Biden was a toddler. Scarsi also barred Hunter Biden's team from bringing in an expert to testify about addiction.
There was a plea deal and diversion agreement that would have not brought Hunter Biden's gun or tax charges to trial, but after being scrutinized by a judge, it fell apart in July 2023.
Scarsi scheduled Biden's sentencing on the tax charges for December 16. He faces up to 17 years in prison.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
Update 09/05/24 5:59 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more information.
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