Hunter Biden’s case first surfaced in 2018 when he was charged with firearm possession while under substance abuse. At the same time, he was suspected of tax demeanors for excess and unverified income in his account between 2017 and 2018.
The charges have been officially issued just last month on the counts of two tax misdemeanors for failure to pay a sum of $100,000 in taxes on the $1.5 million income.
He would also have to plead guilty to possession of an unlawful firearm. Read here for complete details on the first account of the charges against Hunter Biden.
After a month of formulating a plea deal, Hunter Biden appeared in the Delaware courtroom to finalize the deal on Wednesday morning.
What Did Hunter Biden Do?
Investigations on Hunter Biden began in 2018 over violations of gun and tax laws. The primary resource of this investigation is David Weiss, US attorney of Delaware, appointed by Donald Trump.
Hunter Biden appealed for a plea deal instead, as Weiss announced last month that the prosecutors had reached an agreement with the defendant. As per the previous update, Hunter Biden was undoubtedly going to plead guilty to the two federal misdemeanors.
Plus, the deal stated a pre-trial diversion program for the felony gun charge. If he rejects the deal, the felony charge would land him up to 10 years in prison.
Here are the basic terms of the plea deal–
- Prosecutors suggested two years probation for tax violations.
- Gun charges could be dropped with the pre-trial diversion program on the condition that Hunter Biden obliged to the prosecutors’ terms.
Republicans challenged the plea deal, calling it a “sweetheart deal” for exercising leniency because Hunter is President Biden’s son. However, the defendants argued that the charges against Hunter are rarely prosecuted.
Latest Updates on Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal
The plea deal was again contested on Wednesday to finalize the guilty verdict. But US district judge Maryellen Noreika raised her concerns on whether her decisions matter in the deal. As appointed by Donald Trump, Noreika expressed her stance on the “sweetheart deal” as she said–
“It seems to me like you are saying, ‘just rubber stamp the agreement, Your Honor.'”
“This seems to me to be form over substance.”
After an hour of deliberation, Hunter Biden unexpectedly pled “Not Guilty” to all charges in the plea deal.
Noreika stood firm on her decision and ordered a next hearing after 30 days. The defense team must affirm the final details of the agreement by then. It’s highly likely that Judge Noreika might approve the agreement, but only if there is valid reasoning and clarification of the plea deal.
BOTTOM LINE: The plea deal is still on hold even if Biden pleaded not guilty.
What is your verdict on this plea deal? Do you think it is fair agreement? Should there be harsher punishment for Hunter Biden on his charges?
Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
