Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to an assortment of tax charges in California on Thursday, forestalling a criminal trial that threatened to air embarrassing information about US President Joe Biden’s son and the first family.
Biden’s surprise plea in Los Angeles federal court came as jury selection was set to begin, and was unusual in that it was entered without an agreement with prosecutors. That means the president’s son will have no assurances about what sort of punishment prosecutors will seek when he is sentenced in December.
Earlier in the day, Biden had attempted to enter a so-called Alford plea, in which he would acknowledge the weight of evidence against him and accept punishment but not acknowledge guilt. Prosecutors objected.