Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will plead guilty to two federal tax offenses and admit to a gun charge as part of a tentative agreement with prosecutors, court records show.
In a letter filed Tuesday in court, prosecutors said Hunter Biden, 53, will plead guilty to two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax and admit to the facts of a firearm charge. The latter charge — possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance charge — is a felony, while the tax charges are misdemeanors.
As part of the deal, the younger Biden will enter a pretrial diversion agreement for the gun charge, related to a Colt Cobra 38 special that he possessed for 11 days in October 2018, prosecutors said. At the time the gun was purchased, the younger Biden said he was regularly abusing crack cocaine, The Washington Post reported. His then-girlfriend threw the firearm away less than two weeks after he bought it, according to the newspaper.
Authorities did not share further details about the pretrial agreement.
A federal judge will need to approve the deal before it’s made final. It was not immediately clear when Hunter Biden might enter his plea in court.
The president’s son said in 2020 that authorities were investigating his “tax affairs.” Authorities launched the probe, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware, in late 2018 during former President Donald Trump’s administration, The New York Times reported.
Christopher Clark, an attorney for Hunter Biden, said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press that it was his understanding that the agreement resolved the five-year investigation into his client.
“I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life,” Clark said. “He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
In a statement issued by the White House, the president and first lady Jill Biden shared support for Hunter Biden.
“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life,” White House spokesperson Ian Sams said. “We will have no further comment.”
The younger Biden has been open about his decadeslong struggle with addiction. In his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” he said that he began drinking in high school and first bought crack cocaine when he was 18 years old, NPR reported. He has been in and out of rehab over the years and credited his family for his survival.
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