President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has entered a not guilty plea on federal tax and gun charges after a judge objected to an earlier plea deal that linked the two alleged crimes, per reports.
Mr. Biden’s plea proceedings resumed on Wednesday, with federal district Judge Maryellen Noreika, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, presiding.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Noreika expressed “concerns” that Mr. Biden’s earlier plea agreement linked tax crimes to resolving felony gun charges, per CNN, with the judge saying she could not accept the deal in its current form.
Following in-court discussions between prosecutors and the defense team about the structure of the plea deal, Mr. Biden entered a plea of not guilty.
On June 20, prosecutors said that Mr. Biden had agreed to plead guilty to intentionally failing to pay federal income taxes and to a felony gun charge.
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Mr. Biden received more than $1.5 million in taxable income in 2017 and more than $1.5 million more in 2018, according to an indictment. He was required by law to pay more than $100,000 in income tax for his earnings each of those years. But he “did willfully fail” to pay the tax.
The counts are misdemeanors. Each carries up to one year in prison.
Mr. Biden said in late 2020 that authorities were investigating his “tax affairs.” He said, “[I am] confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately.”
A subpoena, made public in 2022, showed that U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware David Weiss was compelling JP Morgan Chase Bank to release Hunter Biden’s bank records. IRS agents later came forward to allege the investigation wasn’t being handled properly.
He is charged in a separate case with unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to and using a controlled substance, a felony.
By Tom Ozimek
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