Hunter Biden Reaches Deal with Federal Prosecutors on Tax Charges, Faces Gun Possession Deferral Program

Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, plans to plead guilty to tax and gun possession charges following an investigation by the Justice Department.

Biden will plead guilty to two counts of failing to pay federal income taxes. He also agreed to a deferred sentencing agreement on another charge, one of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

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Details of the agreement were outlined in a letter sent by U.S. Attorney David Weiss to the U.S. District Court in Delaware.

The tax charges are misdemeanors, while the gun possession charge is a felony. Prosecutors do not plan to recommend a prison sentence but two years of probation, according to The Washington Post. The gun possession charge will be dropped if Biden does not violate the terms during that period.

The judge has not yet approved the settlement.

According to the Department of Justice, Hunter Biden “received taxable income in excess of $1.5 million per year during calendar years 2017 and 2018. Despite owing more than $100,000 in federal income taxes in each year, he failed to pay his income taxes due for either year.” Federal prosecutors also allege that Biden possessed a firearm from about Oct. 12, 2018, to Oct. 23, 2018, “despite knowing he was an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance.” He faces a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison for each of the tax charges and 10 years for the firearm possession charge. Weiss’ office said the investigation is ongoing.

Biden has written about his substance abuse and addiction in a memoir, but he has still become a target of the right, who say his lucrative role on the board of Ukrainian company Burisma relied on his father’s influence. In his book, Biden said the money he earned fueled his addiction.

How the case was prosecuted will undoubtedly be a major issue in the 2024 presidential campaign, as Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, have accused Biden and his father of corruption. But despite being the targets of a congressional investigation, what “hard evidence” Republicans have gathered is unclear. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has alleged that audio recordings exist of a foreign source who allegedly bribed Joe Biden when he was vice president, along with his son. But even Grassley has questioned whether those recordings actually exist. The story has received a lot of attention in right-wing media, but mainstream outlets have downplayed it.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, called the plea agreement a “sweatshop” that “will have no bearing” on his committee’s investigation. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, “If you’re a political opponent of the president, the Justice Department is literally trying to put you in jail and sentence you to prison,” referring to last week’s indictment of Donald Trump. “If you’re the president’s son, you get a sweetheart deal.”

The investigation into Hunter Biden’s finances reportedly began in 2018, and he revealed in December 2020 that he was the target of a federal investigation. Weiss, a Delaware U.S. attorney, was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2018 and asked to continue serving in the Biden administration.

Biden’s attorney, Chris Clark, said it was “a five-year, very thorough investigation led by extremely professional prosecutors, some of whom were career prosecutors and one of whom was appointed by President Trump.”

White House spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement: “The president and first lady love their son and support him as he rebuilds his life. We will have no further comment.”

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