Hunter Biden tries to change plea to no contest in tax evasion case — but judge may not accept it
First son Hunter Biden tried to change his plea to no contest in the tax evasion charges against him, but the judge on the case deferred ruling on the matter.
Jury selection for the case was scheduled to begin on Thursday morning at a federal courthouse in Los Angeles. Biden, 54, had previously pled not guilty to three felony charges and six misdemeanor charges related to tax evasion.
‘A plea such as this should not be used to obfuscate the truth.’
However, once the hearing began, his attorneys suddenly announced that Biden intended to change his plea to an Alford plea. An Alford plea is technically a guilty plea in which defendants admit that prosecutors could likely secure a conviction without also having to admit that the allegations against them are true.
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell acknowledged on Thursday that the evidence against Biden is “overwhelming” and claimed that in an effort to bring the case to a quick resolution, Biden has offered to change his plea.
Prosecutors, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, balked at the offer of an Alford plea.
“Hunter Biden is not innocent. Hunter Biden is guilty,” prosecutor Leo Wise told the court. “He is not entitled to plead guilty on special terms that apply only to him.”
District Judge Mark Scarsi, appointed by Donald Trump, then declared a short recess, asking all parties to return later that morning.
After court reconvened, Wise reiterated that “the U.S. opposes an Alford plea” in Biden’s case.
Lowell argued that “the court is required to accept the plea” and that all the details “can be resolved today,” NBC News reported.
Judge Scarsi seemed doubtful. “I haven’t seen a case that tells me I have to accept an Alford plea,” he stated.
Scarsi ultimately decided to delay his decision on the matter, asking attorneys for both sides to file briefs to make their case.
“The public justifiably expects the court to seek truth in transparent proceeding,” he said during the hearing, per CNN. “A plea such as this should not be used to obfuscate the truth.”
According to the DOJ, Hunter Biden willfully neglected to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes between 2016 and 2019, using the money to support his “extravagant lifestyle” instead of “paying his tax bills.” He also allegedly filed false returns in 2018.
If convicted, he could face up to 17 years behind bars.
In June, a federal jury in Delaware found Hunter Biden guilty of three gun-related charges. He has yet to be sentenced in that case but faces up to 25 years. As it was his first official criminal offense, he is unlikely to receive the maximum penalty.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly insisted he will not pardon his son in either the gun- or the tax-related case. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated on Thursday that the president will not pardon Hunter. She declined to comment on Hunter Biden’s attempted plea change, the AP reported.
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