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Wilmington, Delaware. – Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, has reached an agreement with the Justice Department to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and avoid prosecution on a separate gun charge, according to a court document made public Tuesday. The deal likely will allow him to avoid any jail time.
Under the agreement in papers filed in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, the Justice Department will recommend a sentence of probation for the two counts of failing to pay taxes in a timely fashion for 2017 and 2018. Hunter Biden owed at least US$100 000 of taxes for each of the two years. The taxes were fully paid in 2021, according to his attorney.
In addition, Biden will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and won’t be charged for lying about being addicted to drugs and alcohol when filing the paperwork for purchasing a handgun in 2018.
The gun-charge deal would be contingent on Hunter Biden’s ability to remain drug free for 24 months and agreeing never to own a firearm again.
A statement by the Justice Department said Biden could face “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” but that “sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties”.
Biden’s attorney, Chris Clark, said the deal means the long-running criminal investigation involving the president’s son “is resolved”.
But the investigation is ongoing, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Any plea deal would have to be approved by a federal judge. Both the prosecutors and the defence counsel have requested a court hearing at which Biden, 53, can enter his plea.
Delaware US Attorney David Weiss, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, was the lead prosecutor in the case that started in 2018 and continued into the Biden administration. Both President Biden and US Attorney General Merrick Garland said that they wouldn’t interfere with the investigation.
Hunter Biden has openly acknowledged his struggle with drugs and alcohol. His older brother Beau had helped him to combat alcohol abuse, but he relapsed again after Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 followed by his divorce in 2017, CNN reported. He got depressed and became addicted to cocaine.
White House spokesman Ian Sams issued a brief statement 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.” – ChinaDaily.com
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