Hunter Biden has reached a deal with prosecutors that would see him plead guilty to tax crimes and dispense with a gun charge but likely avoid jail time, according to new Justice Department filings.
The president’s son has been under investigation for five years for tax and financial allegations, as well as for paperwork for purchasing a handgun where he attested that he did not abuse drugs.
That contradicted admissions in his own autobiography where he detailed an addiction to crack cocaine that led to a stint in rehab.
The agreement with prosecutors still must be approved by a federal judge, and comes at a time when the Justice Department is under scrutiny for its handling of high-profile investigations of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
Hunter Biden has reached a deal with prosecutors that would see him plead guilty to a trio of crimes but likely avoid jail time, according to new Justice Department filings
Sources told NBC prosecutors will recommend probation – which would spare the president’s son jail time but could land him in hot water if he violates terms. Both tax times to which he will plead guilty are misdemeanor charges.
The Washington Post reported prosecutors would recommend two years’ probation. Any further terms of probation that prosecutors would recommend were not immediately available, and would be subject to modification by the court.
U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, a holdover from the Trump administration, has been overseeing the politically charged probe.
A document Weiss filed with the court Tuesday states that the criminal information charges the defendant with tax offenses – ‘namely two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax,’ as well as ‘one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.’
U.S. Attorney David Weiss asked a judge to schedule hearing for Hunter Biden for two tax offenses and a gun charge, following a years-long investigation into the president’s son
‘The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment,’ said White House spokesman Ian Sams
U.S. Attorney David Weiss said Hunter Biden agreed to enter a ‘diversion agreement’ where defendants can admit the facts of the case without entering a formal guilty plea
Regarding the gun charge, Hunter ‘has agreed to enter a Pretrial Diversion Agreement with respect to the firearm Information,’ according to Weiss.
Handling the matter as a diversion case means Hunter wouldn’t technically have to enter a guilty plea in the gun matter. Such cases are reserved for people who have a clean record and are facing non-violent charges who can meet a series of criteria. They are meant to reduce recidivism and often are applied to people dealing with substance abuse issues.
The letter stated that prosecutors and Biden’s lawyer Christopher Clark jointly request a court appearance on the firearm change and a plea hearing on the tax charge.
In 2021, Hunter reportedly paid back the feds for outstanding taxes, more than two years after disclosing the probe into his finances. The New York Times reported he told an associate the amount was more than $1 million, and that he needed a loan to pay what he owed the government.
The Hunter Biden probe has been a lingering political issue for the Biden administration, and throughout Biden’s tenure the White House has had to respond to questions about his pricey art sales along with a series of disclosures about his business dealings and personal life gleaned from his laptop.
Republicans have been hammering the administration for allegedly uneven application of justice, after a federal grand jury indicted Trump on charges of willful retention of national security documents and conspiracy to obstruct an investigation into the matter.
The 37-count indictment has the former president facing a court date currently set for August – in the heat of the Republican presidential primaries.
See also Police slammed for failing to warn public about boy, 17, who is wanted for attempted murder
A separate probe of classified material uncovered at President Biden’s home and former office is ongoing.
House Republicans have demanded Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is heading the Trump probe as well as a probe into January 6, hand over materials about how early decisions got made in that matter.
The plea deal comes despite President Biden telling MSNBC when asked about Hunter: ‘My son has done nothing wrong.’
‘First of all my son has done nothing wrong, Biden told the network, following months of public reports about the substance of the probe. ‘I trust him, I have faith in him,’ Biden said.
‘And it impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him.’
Hunter’s failure to pay taxes came from a time when he was acting as a high-flying international lawyer doing deals around the globe, while also according to his autobiography using drugs.
His dealings extended from Ukraine, where he won a lucrative position on the board of the Burisma energy firm, to trips to China where he is accused of trying to leverage his father’s influence while Biden was vice president to secure business.
Information gleaned from his infamous laptop, which according to a Wilmington repair shop owner Hunter dropped off seeking computer support but never reclaimed, shows him posing naked with a gun and smoking what appears to be a crack pipe while passed out in bed.
‘The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment,’ said White House spokesman Ian Sams.
The guilty plea is not likely to be the end of the matter for Hunter Biden or his father. House Republicans have already set up multiple probe of the Biden administration and have been focusing on his family members.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer has been repeatedly demanding possession of an FBI file on claims made by a whistleblower of ‘bribery.’ He called the allegations ‘very credible,’ but has yet to provide proof.
Comer blasted the plea deal as a ‘sweetheart’ deal.
Hunter Biden disclosed the investigation in December 2020, weeks before his father took office. It had been ongoing for about two years at that time.
The gun charge relates to a period in 2018 when Hunter became involved with the widow of his brother, the late Beau Biden. His sister-in-law allegedly took his handgun and tossed it in a dumpster.
A man recovered the gun, which got federal authorities involved. Eventually that led to a search for the paperwork traced to the gun purchase.
Hunter Biden, like other handgun purchasers, was required to answer the question: ‘Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?’
He answered no.
