Hunter Biden Admits Guilt on Tax Charges in Surprise Court Decision

Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, pleaded guilty to all nine charges in his federal tax case on Thursday, with District Judge Mark Scarsi in Los Angeles accepting his plea, CNN reported. The sentencing is scheduled for December 16, which is notably after the November presidential election.

Biden's guilty plea includes one count of felony tax evasion, two counts of felony filing fraudulent tax returns, four misdemeanor counts of failing to pay taxes, and two misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns. This plea came after a day-long hearing that was supposed to start with jury selection for his trial.

Earlier in the day, Hunter Biden had considered an "Alford plea," which would have allowed him to maintain his innocence while accepting punishment. However, this option was abandoned after strong objections from prosecutors and the judge's request for further review. Instead, Biden opted for an "open plea," a rare move for a high-profile defendant, where he admitted to the charges without any pre-arranged deal with prosecutors.

During the plea proceedings, Biden confirmed under oath that he was not promised any leniency or pressured into pleading guilty. Prosecutors read through a 56-page indictment over nearly 90 minutes, and Biden acknowledged his responsibility for the tax offenses.