Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in his federal tax case on Sept. 5, a surprise move that allows him to avoid a trial.
The change of plea came hours before jury selection was set to begin and ahead of his sentencing in a separate case in Delaware.
“I will not subject my family to more pain, more invasions of privacy and needless embarrassment,” Hunter Biden, 54, son of President Joe Biden, said in an emailed statement after he entered his plea. “For all I have put them through over the years, I can spare them this, and so I have decided to plead guilty.”
The choice to plead guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges came without a plea deal, which typically includes benefits such as dropped charges.
“Hunter decided to enter his plea to protect those he loves from unnecessary hurt and cruel humiliation. This plea prevents that kind of show trial that would’ve not provided all the facts or served any real point in justice. He will now move on with us to the sentencing phase,” defense attorney Abbe Lowell told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Los Angeles.
Hunter Biden quickly responded “guilty” as the judge read out each of the nine counts. The charges carry up to 17 years behind bars, but federal sentencing guidelines are likely to call for a much shorter sentence. Hunter Biden also faces up to $1.35 million in fines.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 16. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, who is overseeing the case, will sentence Hunter Biden after hearing recommendations from the parties.
Scarsi in August rejected a bid to dismiss the charges.
The guilty plea came Thursday after defense lawyers proposed entering an unusual plea under which a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to secure a conviction. Prosecutors with special counsel David Weiss’s team objected to the proposal, and Hunter Biden and his lawyers then decided to plead guilty.
President Joe Biden returned to the White House on Thursday but did not comment on the guilty plea. The White House has said the president, who recently opted not to run for another term, will not pardon his son.
During the timespan, Hunter Biden made $7 million from work for Ukrainian-based Burisma Holdings and other firms, according to bank records obtained by prosecutors.
A jury convicted Hunter Biden of three gun charges in Delaware earlier this year.
Hunter Biden illegally bought a gun while addicted to drugs and falsely claimed on his application for a firearm that he was not a drug user. He also illegally possessed the gun for 11 days, according to the verdict.
Hunter Biden had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He faces up to 25 years in prison for the charges and is set to be sentenced in that case in November.
Hunter Biden said in his memoir and interviews that he was addicted to drugs for years but that he became sober in 2019.
“As I have stated, addiction is not an excuse, but it is an explanation for some of my failures at issue in this case,” Hunter Biden said on Thursday. “When I was addicted, I wasn’t thinking about my taxes, I was thinking about surviving. But the jury would never have heard that or know that I had paid every penny of my back taxes including penalties.”
