Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of tax evasion in federal court in Delaware and participate in a pretrial program for a firearm offense, after a multi-year investigation into his tax matters, a case with implications for President Joe Biden's re-election campaign and dealings with congressional Republicans.
U.S. Attorney David Weiss filed a letter in federal court Tuesday citing the charges and the plea agreement. In one case, Biden will plead guilty to the tax charges, which allege willful failure to pay federal income tax. In another case, Biden agreed to enter a pretrial diversion agreement for the gun offense, in which he acknowledged unlawful possession of a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver, despite being addicted to drugs.
The Justice Department will recommend probation for tax charges, according to The Associated Press, based on an unnamed source. The diversion program could eventually lead to dismissal of the gun charge.
Weiss asked the court − a judge has not yet been assigned − to set a date to formally process the plea agreements. Weiss began in 2018 with questions about taxes on overseas business deals, after his work in Ukraine and China drew federal scrutiny.