Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has reached a plea agreement with Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, potentially avoiding incarceration or a trial. However, a federal judge must first approve the deal. Hunter Biden was charged with two misdemeanor tax offenses and a felony firearm offense. He is admitting to the felony gun possession allegation, but will enter into a pre-trial diversion agreement in lieu of entering a guilty plea. If Hunter Biden had been convicted of the crimes, he could have faced a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison on each of the tax charges and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the firearm charge.
Hunter Biden is entering a guilty plea to two misdemeanor tax charges relating to his willful failure to pay taxes for 2017 and 2018. A court filing on Tuesday indicates he had more than $1.5 million in income each year and did not pay taxes either year when they were due. He has since fully repaid back taxes and fines, including $2 million reportedly paid to the federal government last year, with the help of a loan from his personal attorney. A source with knowledge of the agreement said Hunter Biden will not be pleading guilty to the gun charge, which will be dismissed if he remains drug-free and doesn’t commit additional crimes for two years.
Weiss said Hunter Biden unlawfully possessed a gun for 11 days, from Oct. 12 through Oct. 23, 2018, “despite knowing he was an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance.” A court filing made by Weiss on Tuesday identifies the handgun as a Colt Cobra 38SPL. The investigation into Hunter Biden dates back to at least 2018. For a time, it appeared the investigation had a broader scope, ranging across Hunter Biden’s many international business dealings.
Congressional Republicans have vowed to move forward with their own investigations separate from the Justice Department probe. Meanwhile, the White House declined to comment on the plea agreement, with spokesperson Ian Sams stating that “The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment.”
However, Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday that Hunter Biden’s plea agreement reflects a “two-tiered system” of justice and called it a “sweetheart deal.” President Biden has for years denied Republicans’ corruption allegations.
The House Oversight Committee has been investigating the business dealings of several members of Mr. Biden’s family. Kentucky Republican James Comer wrote in a letter to an attorney for Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business partner, stating that he “played a significant role in the Biden family’s business deals abroad, including but not limited to China, Russia, and Ukraine.” Archer served alongside Hunter Biden on the board of Burisma, a Ukraine energy company, beginning in 2014. During this period, then-Vice President Joe Biden was deeply involved in Ukraine policy, an era when his opponents say the energy firm was involved in corruption. Republican allegations related to Hunter Biden’s international business dealings did not factor into the Department of Justice plea agreement announced Tuesday.
Original Story at www.cbsnews.com – 2023-06-20 23:41:00