The United States Justice Department has charged President Joe Biden's son Hunter with offences related to wilful failure to pay federal tax and weapons possession, news agency AP has reported. Hunter Biden will now plead guilty to two tax offences, reported US news website CNN. A CNBC report stated that Hunter Biden has come to an "pretrial diversion" agreement with prosecutors regarding a charge related to the possession of sidearms.
The development is likely to have an impact on the 2024 US Presidential elections.
Sources familiar with the agreement have indicated that the US attorney agreed to recommend a probation for Biden in relation to the charges of tax violations. NBC News quoted legal experts, who believe that neither the tax nor the gun charges will result in jail time for the US President's son.
This decision by US Attorney David Weiss, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2018, signifies the conclusion of a five-year investigation into Hunter Biden's conduct by federal prosecutors, FBI agents, and IRS officials. The Biden administration chose to retain Weiss in his position to avoid appointing a U.S. attorney selected by the president to oversee his son's criminal case.
In a statement to NBC News, Chris Clark, Hunter Biden's attorney, stated that his client has agreed to take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments as part of the plea agreement. The firearm charge, separate from the plea agreement, will be addressed through a pretrial diversion agreement. Hunter Biden acknowledges the importance of owning up to these mistakes made during a tumultuous period in his life and is committed to his recovery and future progress.
The resolution of the case suggests that prosecutors did not find evidence to support charges related to Hunter Biden's involvement with foreign entities or other alleged wrongdoing. Previous claims made by former President Trump and Republican-led congressional inquiries regarding Biden's alleged criminal activities with individuals connected to the Chinese government and companies in Ukraine and other countries were not addressed in the charges filed.
Hunter Biden has already settled the outstanding taxes he owed for the years 2017 and 2018, which are the focus of the charges. The felony gun possession charge will be resolved through a pre-trial diversion agreement, in which the charges can be dropped if specific conditions are met, although the details of these conditions were not disclosed in the court documents.
An arraignment date will be scheduled in the coming weeks, and Hunter Biden is expected to surrender to the authorities of the US state of Delaware.
The investigation into Hunter Biden's activities was overseen by US Attorney David Weiss, whose lengthy deliberations have caused frustration and confusion among other law enforcement officials, including those within the FBI and IRS. According to three senior law enforcement officials, both agencies concluded their respective investigations in 2022, while an additional senior U.S. official stated that the bulk of the IRS investigation was completed in 2020.