U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, pleaded guilty to all nine counts in his criminal tax case in a Los Angeles federal court.
Hunter 54, was indicted in California in December on nine counts related to a Justice Department investigation into his taxes.
Federal prosecutors charged him with evading at least 1.4 million U.S. dollars in tax payments.
The only surviving son of President Biden had previously pleaded not guilty in the case.
But a lawyer for him announced in court on Thursday that Hunter planned to change his not guilty plea before the start of his trial.
Hunter’s stunning decision to plead guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges without the benefits of a deal with prosecutors came hours after jury selection was supposed to begin in the case, local media reports.
Hunter quickly responded “guilty” as the judge read out each of the nine counts, said the report.
It added that the charges carry up to 17 years behind bars, but federal sentencing guidelines are likely to call for a much shorter sentence.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 16, shortly after the 2024 U.S. presidential election set to be held on Nov. 5.
Hunter was convicted of three felony gun charges in a separate case in June.
His conviction is related to purchasing a firearm in 2018 while addicted to crack cocaine, which is the first time in U.S. history that a sitting president’s child has been convicted of a crime. (Xinhua/NAN)
