Hunter Biden changed his plea to guilty before his trial began Thursday morning, his attorney Abbe Lowell said on Thursday, a move that allows him to avoid a nearly one-month trial with damaging testimony.
The changed plea deal potentially validates speculation that President Joe Biden will pardon or commute his son’s sentences.
The reversal was announced just before jury selection was expected to begin. The court went into recess after the announcement.
“The conditions of the plea were not immediately disclosed nor whether the judge will accept his attempt to avoid a trial and move straight to sentencing,” NBC News reported:
Federal prosecutor Leo Wise stated “this is the first we are hearing about this,” according to Fox News.
Special counsel David Weiss indicted Hunter in December on nine tax charges, including three felonies: allegedly failing to file taxes, evading an assessment, and filing a fraudulent form. The most serious allegations stem from the three felony charges: 1) tax evasion for 2018, 2) filing a false personal tax return for 2018, and 3) filing a false corporate tax return for 2018.
For Hunter to be convicted, prosecutors must prove he “willfully” broke the law. He could face a maximum of 17 years in prison if convicted.
More here on Hunter’s tax case:
