https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5n926n6n0o
The president's son, Hunter Biden, unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all charges in a tax evasion case on Thursday, avoiding a public trial but potentially accepting a long prison sentence. Biden is accused of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019.
Trial participants in a federal court in Los Angeles were set to begin jury selection on Thursday in the presence of the defendant. Instead, Biden entered a plea to end the trial. Judge Mark Scarsi announced that Biden faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million, and set sentencing for Dec. 16.
Typically, defendants in the United States agree to plead guilty in exchange for the prosecution agreeing to drop some of the charges and reduce the requested sentence. But in this case, as journalists reported from the court, there was no agreement with prosecutors.
Hunter Biden offered to avoid a trial earlier in the day through a rare legal maneuver: he would accept all the charges, but would not formally plead guilty. Prosecutors objected, and after a break, Biden's lawyer informed the judge that his client would plead guilty despite the lack of a plea deal.
The verdict in the second case, on taxes, will be announced between the presidential election in early November and Joe Biden's departure from the presidency on January 20.
Hunter Biden earned $7 million from 2016 to 2019 while serving on the boards of Ukrainian gas company Burisma and a Chinese private equity fund, according to tax records.
Read also: