Hunter Biden has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors to resolve a five-year investigation into his failure to pay about $1 million in federal taxes and his purchase of a handgun in 2018.
Under the agreement, Biden will plead guilty to a pair of misdemeanor tax charges and will be charged with possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs, but that charge will be dismissed if he completes a two-year period of probation.
Driving the news: Biden is unlikely to serve time in prison if he complies with release conditions. The deal calls for both sides to recommend that he be put on probation.
- The plea agreement is intended to be a comprehensive resolution of Hunter Biden’s potential legal liability in all matters investigated by federal authorities, including allegations of corruption related to his business dealings and his position on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
- During the investigation, Hunter Biden reportedly paid off his tax debts by tapping more than $2 million he was loaned by a Hollywood attorney and producer, Kevin Morris. Morris is also said to be funding a movie about Hunter Biden based in part on his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things.”
- The gun charge stems from an incident in 2018 where Hunter Biden’s .38-caliber Colt revolver was allegedly found by his late brother Beau’s wife in his truck and later disposed of in a trash receptacle behind a Delaware grocery store. Hunter Biden was in a romantic relationship with her at the time and was found to be a user of illegal drugs.
- Lying on the gun-purchase form can be a felony, but Hunter Biden will not face a charge of lying on the form and will instead be charged with possession of a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs, which carries a potential prison term of up to 15 years.
- The plea agreement is sure to be unwelcome news for President Joe Biden, although how much political damage it will do to his re-election bid remains unclear.
