Washington. Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, has pleaded guilty to charges of not paying federal taxes. Hunter was set to stand trial on criminal charges in Los Angeles Federal Court. He was accused of not paying taxes worth $1.4 million while spending recklessly on drugs, sex workers and luxury items. Judge Mark Scarsi told Hunter that he could face up to 17 years in prison and a fine of up to $450,000. He set the date for sentencing on December 16. Earlier, Hunter Biden had pleaded guilty to charges of not paying taxes, but offered to avoid admitting wrongdoings, which is called ‘Alford plea’. Prosecutors opposed this move. After the break, Hunter Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell said that he was pleading guilty.
After the hearing, Hunter said that he pleaded guilty to save his family from a trial that would have revealed dirty details of the period of his life when he was suffering from drug addiction. He said, ‘I can save them from whatever they have had to suffer for so many years because of me.’ Hunter Biden said that he has paid his taxes. Hunter’s lawyer Lowell said that Biden can appeal against his sentence.