In a recent development, Hunter Biden, son of the current U.S. President Joe Biden, has accepted to plead guilty to a pair of federal misdemeanor crimes.
The charges pertain to his deliberate failure to pay federal income taxes, as indicated by a court filing made public on Tuesday.
Hunter Biden, in addition, has chosen to take part in a pretrial diversion agreement.
This agreement is linked to a federal felony charge, accusing him of possession of a firearm while being an illegal drug user or addict.
The court documents filed by the U.S. District Court prosecutors in Delaware highlighted this information.
Such agreements traditionally result in the related criminal charge being dismissed, providing that the accused complies with the stipulated conditions for a pre-set period.
At the time of the reporting, Hunter’s initial court appearance was yet to be scheduled, according to his defense attorney, Chris Clark.
Reports from NBC News, relying on two sources conversant with Hunter's plea deal, revealed that U.S. Attorney for Delaware, David Weiss, has agreed to propose to a judge that Hunter, a 53-year-old resident of Malibu, California, be given probation as a sentence for the tax crimes.
David Weiss was originally appointed to his post by the then-president Donald Trump.
He was permitted to retain his position following Joe Biden's election, to facilitate the continuation of the five-year criminal investigation targeting the president's son.
In response to this development, President Biden voiced his pride in his son during an event on Tuesday.
David Weiss has filed two charging documents, known as "informations," against Hunter Biden. One each for the tax crimes and the firearm charge.
The use of an information is routine for prosecutors when charging defendants who are set to plead guilty.
The information charging Hunter Biden with two tax crimes mentions that he had a taxable income exceeding $1.5 million in both 2017 and 2018.
However, he did not pay income tax for those years, and he owed the IRS over $100,000 in taxes each year, as detailed in the filing.
The tax crimes carry a maximum potential sentence of 12 months in prison.
Hunter Biden, who has a long history of substance abuse issues, repaid his federal income taxes for 2017 and 2018 in 2022, which he had previously failed to pay.
This move was perceived as an attempt to reduce the risk of criminal charges and to mitigate any potential sentence if he was indeed charged.
Regarding the gun charge, the information document states that for an 11-day period in October 2018, Hunter possessed a Colt Cobra .38-caliber revolver, despite his known unlawful use of and addiction to controlled substances.
The gun charge carries a maximum possible sentence of ten years in prison.
The press release from Weiss’ office, which provided details of the agreement, added, "The investigation is ongoing," without further explanation.
A memorandum detailing the terms of Hunter’s plea agreement, and the specifics of the pretrial diversion deal, will be filed publicly by the time he appears in court for a plea hearing.
This information was confirmed by a prosecutor in Weiss’ office, in a letter to the federal court clerk in Delaware.
Ian Sams, White House spokesman, refrained from commenting further on the plea deal.
He simply expressed that the President and the First Lady continue to support and love their son as he strives to rebuild his life.
The Department of Justice declined to provide any details regarding Attorney General Merrick Garland's involvement in the approval of the charges, as reported by NBC.
Hunter Biden’s criminal defense lawyer, Chris Clark, released a statement following the announcement.
He highlighted that Hunter would accept responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments in due time as per a plea agreement.
The firearm charge, which is subject to a pretrial
