Hunter Biden Pleads Guilty to Tax Charges, Citing Desire to Spare Family From Trial
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges, a move he says was driven by his desire to protect his family from the “public humiliation” of a trial, Fox News reports.
In a statement released Thursday, Biden expressed remorse for failing to file and pay his taxes on time, attributing his actions to struggles with addiction.
“Like millions of Americans, I failed to file and pay my taxes on time. For that I am responsible. As I have stated, addiction is not an excuse, but it is an explanation for some of my failures at issue in this case. When I was addicted, I wasn’t thinking about my taxes, I was thinking about surviving,” he said.
Biden further stressed that he has been clean and sober for over five years, has paid all back taxes including penalties, and has actually overpaid his taxes in the year he is charged with tax evasion.
Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, described the case as “extreme and unusual,” adding that the charges stemmed from failures during his client’s addiction. He stated that the plea “prevents a show trial that would not have provided all the facts or served any justice.”
Special Counsel David Weiss, who brought the charges against Hunter, alleged that Biden engaged in a “four-year scheme” to evade paying taxes and filed false tax returns between 2016 and 2019.
Hunter remains free on bond until his sentencing on December 16th. He faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison, though the Justice Department has stated that actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum.
