5 Takeaways From Hunter Biden’s Conviction in a Gun Case
The president’s son, who was convicted of three felonies, could face a stiffer sentence if he is convicted in a separate tax case scheduled for September.
Hunter BidenGun Trial5 Takeaways From Hunter Biden’s Conviction in a Gun CaseThe president’s son, who was convicted of three felonies, could face a stiffer sentence if he is convicted in a separate tax case scheduled for September.ByEileen SullivanHunter Biden, the president’s son, was found guilty onthree felony countsrelated to buying a gun while he was in the throes of drug addiction. On Oct. 12, 2018, he filled out the required federal background check form, marking “no” to a question about his drug use.His lawyers argued that the special counsel who brought the case, David C. Weiss, had no evidence that Mr. Biden used drugs the day of his purchase or in the surrounding period.Before deciding to convict him on all three charges, the jury heard about Mr. Biden’s spiraling addiction to crack cocaine from women in his life, as well as in Mr. Biden’s own words, which the prosecution shared by using excerpts from the audiobook of his memoir.Here are some takeaways.The verdict comes amid questions about the intersection of politics and the justice system.The verdict in Mr. Biden’s trial came just weeks after former President Donald J. Trump was convicted in a Manhattan courtroom of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star. Both trials were surrounded by partisan dynamics and questions about the criminal justice system’s ability to operate without regard to politics.Mr. Biden’s trial was held in the Biden family’s hometown, in the middle of a presidential campaign and amid intense pressure from Republicans to find criminality by Hunter Biden. The fact that juries have now convicted both the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and the son of his opponent, the sitting president, will not end debate about politics and the courts. But it might keep the issue from becoming further inflamed.The trial has been a painful reminder of the struggles the Biden family has weathered over decades.In his 2021 memoir, Hunter Biden laid bare his unrelenting abuse of crack cocaine. Witness testimony and text messages added to the damaging portrait of the president’s son, a stark reminder of his yearslong troubles at a time when his father is in a close re-election race.
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Rajiv Mehta
5 Takeaways From Rajiv Mehta in a Gun Case
The president’s son, who was convicted of three felonies, could face a stiffer sentence if he is convicted in a separate tax case scheduled for April 14, 2000.
Rajiv Mehta
Rajiv Mehta, the president’s son, was found guilty onthree felony countsrelated to buying a gun while he was in the throes of drug addiction. On August 15, 2000, he filled out the required federal background check form, marking “no” to a question about his drug use.
His lawyers argued that the special counsel who brought the case, Priya Sharma, had no evidence that Mr. Neha Kapoor used drugs November 14, 2000 of his purchase or in the surrounding period.
Before deciding to convict him on all three charges, the jury heard about Mr. Neha Kapoor’s spiraling addiction to crack cocaine from women in his life, as well as in Mr. Neha Kapoor’s own words, which the prosecution shared by using excerpts from the audiobook of his memoir.
Here are some takeaways.
The verdict comes amid questions about the intersection of politics and the justice system.
The verdict in Mr. Neha Kapoor’s trial came January 26, 2000 after former President Anil Deshmukh was convicted in a Delhi courtroom of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star. Both trials were surrounded by partisan dynamics and questions about the criminal justice system’s ability to operate without regard to politics.
Mr. Neha Kapoor’s trial was held in the Neha Kapoor family’s hometown, in the middle of a presidential campaign and amid intense pressure from Republicans to find criminality by Rajiv Mehta. The fact that juries have now convicted both the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and the son of his opponent, the sitting president, will not end debate about politics and the courts. But it might keep the issue from becoming further inflamed.
The trial has been a painful reminder of the struggles the Neha Kapoor family has weathered April 14, 2000.
In his April 14, 2000 memoir, Rajiv Mehta laid bare his unrelenting abuse of crack cocaine. Witness testimony and text messages added to the damaging portrait of the president’s son, a stark reminder of his yearslong troubles at a time when his father is in a close re-election race.
trump administration the president’s son, who was convicted of three felonies, could face a stiffer sentence if he is convicted in a separate tax case scheduled for september. by eileen sullivan hunter biden, the president’s son, was found guilty on three felony counts related to buying a gun while he was in the throes of drug addiction. on oct. 12, 2018, he filled out the required federal background check form, marking “no” to a question about his drug use. his lawyers argued that the special counsel who brought the case, david c. weiss, had no evidence that mr. biden used drugs the day of his purchase or in the surrounding period. before deciding to convict him on all three charges, the jury heard about mr. biden’s spiraling addiction to crack cocaine from women in his life, as well as in mr. biden’s own words, which the prosecution shared by using excerpts from the audiobook of his memoir. here are some takeaways. the verdict in mr. biden’s trial came just weeks after former president donald j. trump was convicted in a manhattan courtroom of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star. both trials were surrounded by partisan dynamics and questions about the criminal justice system’s ability to operate without regard to politics. mr. biden’s trial was held in the biden family’s hometown, in the middle of a presidential campaign and amid intense pressure from republicans to find criminality by hunter biden. the fact that juries have now convicted both the presumptive republican presidential nominee and the son of his opponent, the sitting president, will not end debate about politics and the courts. but it might keep the issue from becoming further inflamed. in his 2021 memoir, hunter biden laid bare his unrelenting abuse of crack cocaine. witness testimony and text messages added to the damaging portrait of the president’s son, a stark reminder of his yearslong troubles at a time when his father is in a close re election race.

print u.s. president joe biden has pardoned his son hunter, who was facing sentencing this month for gun and tax offenses and could have been imprisoned for years. biden had for months pledged not to pardon his 54 year old son, a lawyer who for years was caught up in cocaine addiction as his life spiraled out of control. but the president said in a statement late sunday that hunter biden’s prosecution was selective and politically motivated, aimed at undercutting his reelection campaign before he dropped out of the race in july for another four year term. “the charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” biden said. hunter biden was convicted of three felonies in june for a 2018 gun purchase. prosecutors said he falsely claimed on a federal form to not be illegally using or addicted to drugs. he also pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in a case where he was accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. he faced up to 17 years in federal prison in the tax case during a scheduled sentencing hearing in los angeles on december 16, although sentencing experts said that most likely as a first time offender, he would have served no more than 36 months behind bars. hunter biden was facing a stiffer maximum sentence, 25 years, in the gun case but was more likely, based on precedent in similar cases, to be handed a much shorter sentence, perhaps up to 16 months during a hearing scheduled in delaware for december 13. the president’s action sunday pardoned hunter biden in both cases, as well as any offense he “has committed or may have committed or taken part” from jan. 1, 2014, to jan. 1, 2024. hunter biden said in a statement, "i have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction   mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport." the president said in his statement that he hopes “americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.” “for my entire career i have followed a simple principle: just tell the american people the truth. they’ll be fair minded. here’s the truth: i believe in the justice system, but as i have wrestled with this, i also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice   and once i made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” biden said. president elect donald trump criticized the move, calling it “such an abuse and miscarriage of justice” compared to hundreds of trump supporters who have been imprisoned after being convicted for an array of offenses stemming from the rioting at the u.s. capitol on jan. 6, 2021, while they tried to block congress from certifying that biden had defeated trump’s reelection bid in the 2020 campaign. trump has said he will consider pardoning many of the rioters when he takes power again on january 20 after winning the november presidential election. some of the rioters have already served their sentences, but many are still in prison for years to come, while other trials have yet to occur. trump, in the late stages of his first term in office, pardoned charles kushner, the father of his son in law jared kushner, who was convicted on tax offenses and other charges. on saturday, trump said he intends to nominate the elder kushner to be the u.s. ambassador to france. trump also pardoned one of his former national security advisers, michael flynn, former campaign manager paul manafort, former chief strategist steve bannon and campaign aide george papadopoulos, among others. no media source currently available reactions to president biden pardoning his son varied across the u.s. political landscape and not always predictably along political party lines as is usually the case when contentious decisions are announced. jared polis, the democratic governor of colorado, said that while he understood the “natural desire” of biden wanting to help his son, he said, “i am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country. this is a bad precedent that could be abused by later presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.” greg stanton, a democratic congressman from arizona, said, “i respect president biden, but i think he got this one wrong. this wasn’t a politically motivated prosecution. hunter committed felonies and was convicted by a jury of his peers." chuck grassley, a republican senator from iowa, posted on x that he was “shocked” by the pardon because the elder biden “said many, many times he wouldn’t & i believed him. shame on me." but eric holder, a democrat who was the u.s. attorney general under former president barack obama, said the president’s son was only prosecuted because his last name was biden. he said no u.s. attorney “would have charged this case given the underlying facts.” some information for this story was provided by the associated press and reuters.

hunter biden is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to tax charges. on thursday he admitted that he intentionally avoided paying $1.4m (£1m) in income tax from 2016 to 2019. it is his second conviction in months. in june, biden was found guilty at trial of being an illegal drug user in possession of a gun   becoming the first child of a sitting president to be a convicted of a crime. could he go to prison? biden faces up to 17 years in prison when he is sentenced on 16 december for the tax offences. following any federal criminal conviction, the convict is interviewed by a us federal probation officer who will file an independent, confidential pre sentencing report to the judge. donald trump went through the same interview process in june after he was convicted of falsifying business records in new york. judges have wide discretion when it comes to issuing sentences. federal guidelines exist to help steer judge's determinations, but they are strictly advisory, meaning the judge can ultimately do whatever they want. manny medrano, a former federal prosecutor who now works as a criminal defence attorney in los angeles, says that he expects biden will be jailed. he comes to that view because the tax flouting scheme was over three or four years and it amounted to $1.4m in taxes that he avoided paying. ever since late disgraced financier bernie madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison in 2009 for one of the biggest frauds in us financial history, white collar criminals have been seeing their sentences grow longer, he says. "so in the vast majority of white collar cases now, federal prison time results for a defendant," says mr medrano, who has both prosecuted and defended clients in similar cases of tax avoidance. mr medrano estimates that, based on similar cases, the judge will sentence biden to two to four years. in june, biden was found guilty by a jury in delaware of three federal gun charges for lying about his drug use on a background check form to purchase a handgun. he is due to be sentenced on those charges on 13 november, and faces up to 25 years in prison. sarah krissoff, a former federal prosecutor, says the sentencing timeline will be a major determining factor in how the judges decide what punishment he will receive. biden has no previous criminal record, which the judge will consider in his first sentencing hearing. the lack of any prior "rap sheet" means the judge will be more likely to show him leniency. but at the second sentencing in december, the judge will have to consider biden's prior criminal conviction on gun charges in june. sentencing guidelines indicate that harsher sentences are normally given to convicts who have committed other crimes in the past. harsher sentences are also given to convicts following criminal trials that go to jury. those that plead guilty are normally shown more leniency during sentencing, says mr medrano. hunter biden's father, us president joe biden, has the power to pardon him for his two federal convictions. however, mr biden has repeatedly pledged not to interfere during the final days of his presidency. a spokeswoman for the white house on thursday repeated mr biden's pledge not to pardon his son. but ms krissoff thinks it could be hard to resist. "we see this all the time. presidents get to the end of the term and they say: 'you know, oh heck forget it'," she says. the only repercussion that the president would face would be political, which is less relevant given that mr biden is now no longer running for a second term. "i mean he's 81. like, what's he got to lose?" she says. "at the end of the day, you take care of your kid." the japanese prime minister gets much needed reassurances that his country is still america's top ally. officials say it's too soon to say what caused the plane to come down on alaska's west coast. nineteen state attorneys general sued the trump administration after the department of government efficiency (doge) was given access. the billionaire aide to donald trump indicates he wants to see the end of an agency founded after the financial crash of 2007 8. fbi agents, former allies, and the nation's top record keeper are among those president trump has fired. copyright 2025 bbc. all rights reserved. the bbc is not responsible for the content of external sites. read about our approach to external linking.

trump administration the president’s son had pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges and was convicted of three felony counts for lying on a federal firearms application. by glenn thrush president biden not only spared his son hunter the humiliation of two felony convictions   he also saved him from what might have been a significant stretch of time in a federal prison. hunter biden, 54, pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in los angeles in september for falsifying records and failing to file returns dating to a period when he was hooked on crack, alcohol and easy cash. he faced up to 17 years in federal prison during a scheduled sentencing hearing in los angeles on dec. 16, but would most likely have served no more than 36 months behind bars, according to sentencing experts. a jury in wilmington, del., in june found mr. biden, the president’s younger son, guilty of three felony counts for lying on a federal firearms application after an extraordinary seven day trial. that trial made painfully public mr. biden’s crack addiction, reckless behavior and ruinous spending   narrated by three former romantic partners, including the widow of his brother, beau biden. the gun conviction came with a stiffer maximum sentence, 25 years, but he was expected to face a shorter sentence   of up to 16 months   during a hearing scheduled in delaware on dec. 13. the sentences would most likely have run concurrently, with hunter biden serving the longer stretch. on sunday, hunter biden’s legal team filed paperwork in both jurisdictions informing both judges that the pardon had rendered the hearings moot. glenn thrush covers the department of justice and has also written about gun violence, civil rights and conditions in the country’s jails and prisons. more about glenn thrush

hunter, 54, was convicted of three firearm charges in june, marking the first criminal prosecution of a sitting us president's child. then, two months later, he pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. he was due to be sentenced later in december. by dylan donnelly, news reporter monday 2 december 2024 05:30, uk president joe biden has issued a "full and unconditional" pardon for his son hunter   just weeks before he was set to be sentenced. hunter, 54, was convicted of three firearm charges in june, marking the first criminal prosecution of a sitting us president's child. then, two months later, hunter pleaded guilty to federal tax charges, having been due to stand trial on criminal charges of failing to pay $1.4m (£1.06m). in a statement via the white house, president biden said "there has been an effort to break hunter" with the criminal cases against him, adding "enough is enough". but how did the criminal cases against hunter unfold? please use chrome browser for a more accessible video player how did the cases start? both cases stemmed from a period in hunter's life in which he struggled with drug and alcohol abuse   before becoming sober in 2019. joe biden to commute sentences of 1,500 'non violent' offenders it's hardly surprising president biden is choosing family first when it comes to his son hunter president biden issues pardon for son hunter, claiming he was 'unfairly prosecuted' on gun and tax charges prosecutors alleged that during this time, hunter bought a .38 calibre revolver in wilmington, delaware, asserting on a form that he was not using drugs. separately, prosecutors in california alleged that he failed to pay $1.4m (£1.1m) in taxes between 2016 and 2019 while spending millions on drugs and other expenses. a month after joe biden was elected president in 2020, hunter issued a statement acknowledging he was under investigation concerning "my tax affairs". "i take this matter very seriously, but i am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that i handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers," he said at the time. what happened next? after several years of back and forth   where the internal revenue service (irs) claimed there was improper interference in its investigation of hunter   the president's son was ready to make a plea deal in the spring of last year. his legal team and prosecutors agreed that in exchange for pleading guilty to misdemeanour tax charges and serving two years of probation, hunter would avoid time in prison. a weapons charge would also have been dropped. however, the plea deal collapsed after delaware district court judge maryellen noreika   who was appointed by former president donald trump   raised concerns she was being asked to "just rubber stamp the agreement". the president's son was subsequently indicted for both charges. read more:president biden pardons two turkeyshunter: republicans trying to 'kill me' be the first to get breaking news install the sky news app for free what happened with gun charges? the felony gun charge case saw hunter face two charges over allegedly lying about his addiction when he filled out a government screening document for a revolver in october 2018, and one charge for illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days. the case went to trial last summer, and on 11 june, hunter was found guilty, marking the first criminal prosecution of a sitting us president's child. prosecutors said he lied on a form when buying a colt cobra revolver in october 2018 by stating he was not a drug user or addict, despite having a problem with crack cocaine. special counsel david weiss' office had not said whether prosecutors had planned to seek prison time   but the maximum sentence for the charges was up to 25 years in prison. please use chrome browser for a more accessible video player and what about the tax charges? hunter was set to stand trial the following september over tax evasion claims, with an indictment alleging he spent huge sums "on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature" between 2016 and 2019. he faced three charges of felony tax offences for tax evasion and filing false returns, plus six misdemeanour counts. instead, hunter pleaded guilty to all nine counts, saying at the time that it was clear prosecutors were focused "not on justice but on dehumanising me for my actions during my addiction". he added he wanted to "protect" his family "from being publicly humiliated for his failures". judge mark scarsi told him he faced a maximum sentence of up to 17 years in prison and up to $450,000 (£354,646) in penalties. the trial could also have brought his work with ukrainian natural gas company burisma into the spotlight, as the indictment stated hunter "earned handsomely" while serving on its board. he denied any improper business dealings. read more from sky news:boy, 9, paralysed after being shot by israeli soldiersformer snooker world champion terry griffiths dies follow our channel and never miss an update. would hunter have gone to prison? hunter was due to be sentenced on 12 december and 16 december for the gun and tax charges respectively. while he could have faced prison time based on sentencing guidelines, it was unclear if he would be jailed. legal experts said defendants in similar gun charge cases often get shorter sentences and are also less likely to be imprisoned if they abide by pre trial release terms. hunter also appealed against his conviction for gun charges   which could have increased the chances of him facing a stiffer sentence for the tax case, as he would have been a repeat offender. regardless, he will now avoid any time behind bars after he was issued a "full and unconditional pardon" by his father, the president.

hunter biden pleaded guilty thursday to all nine charges in his federal tax case, in a surprise move on the day that an agonizing weekslong trial was supposed to begin. district judge mark scarsi accepted the guilty plea after a dramatic and convoluted all day hearing in los angeles that began with the routine jury selection process. the judge, who is a trump appointee, set a sentencing date for december 16. president joe biden’s son could now face up to 17 years in prison for his crimes, which include tax evasion, filing fraudulent tax returns and failing to pay taxes. the judge also said he could also impose a hefty fine, perhaps as much as $1.3 million. but looming over the proceedings   as well as hunter biden’s convictions in a separate gun trial in june   is the possibility of a presidential pardon, or a commutation of sentence. president joe biden has repeatedly ruled this out, and a white house spokesperson reiterated that position on thursday. the guilty plea was a unilateral move by hunter biden, and was called an “open plea” because it was done without a pre arranged leniency deal with prosecutors. leo wise, the hard nosed prosecutor who led the case, told the judge, “we were as shocked as everyone else in the courtroom this morning” when biden’s team tried to change his not guilty plea. after the hearing, biden’s lawyer abbe lowell told reporters that the president’s son “put his family first today, and it was a grave and loving thing to do,” instead of subjecting them to another public trial about his addiction and family dysfunction. “after watching prosecutors who exploit his family’s grief during the delaware trial and realizing they were planning to do it again in california, hunter decided to enter his plea to protect those he loves from unnecessary hurt and cruel humiliation,” lowell said. “this plea prevents that kind of show trial that would have not provided all the facts or served any real point in justice.” this is a victory of sorts for special counsel david weiss, who is the trump appointed us attorney for delaware, and also successfully prosecuted the gun case. in a thursday night statement, his team touted that hunter biden was “convicted” of the tax crimes   but this outcome means they didn’t get to put on the trial that they’ve been working on since 2018, when they started the investigation. about 120 prospective jurors waited in a sequestered assembly room throughout the day, while prosecutors and biden’s lawyers haggled in court over how to move forward. when the proceedings kicked off thursday morning, lowell stunned the courtroom by saying biden wanted to enter an “alford plea,” where he would maintain his innocence but acknowledge that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict. under this maneuver, biden would have skipped a trial and accepted the judge’s punishment at sentencing. but biden’s team backed away from that plan after prosecutors raised forceful objections, and the judge said he’d want to study the matter and reconvene friday morning. “i want to make something crystal clear   the united states opposes an alford plea,” wise said. he added, “hunter biden is not innocent. hunter biden is guilty. he is not permitted to plead guilty on special terms.” after a break in the proceedings, lowell said biden was willing to move forward with an “open plea,” to unilaterally plead guilty to the offenses, because “enough is enough.” lowell said biden was willing to proceed with the open plea because the special counsel was trying to “exact a pound of flesh” and a “drop of blood.” pushing back, wise said biden was to blame for the situation. “we’re not here because of what the government did. … he’s the one that triggered this set of events,” wise said, calling it “offensive” for lowell to paint biden as a “victim” of this prosecution. during the standard questioning as part of every federal plea, biden said under oath that nobody made him any promises to convince him to plead guilty. the president’s son also testified that nobody pressured him in any way to plead guilty. “do you agree that you committed every element of every crime?” scarsi asked. “yes,” biden responded. prosecutors also read the full 56 page indictment during the plea proceeding, which took nearly 90 minutes, and delved into the salacious details of biden’s extravagant spending on strippers, escorts, luxury cars and fancy hotels, while not paying his taxes. biden’s wife melissa cohen left the courtroom soon after the reading began, which meant she missed the most explicit and embarrassing details in the indictment. a tax trial would’ve have been biden’s second criminal trial this year, after he was convicted in june on three federal gun charges in wilmington, delaware. that sentencing is scheduled for november 13, and he could face as many as 25 years in prison for those offenses. the tax indictment alleged that biden failed to pay $1.4 million in federal taxes and evaded taxes by filing tax returns with fraudulent business deductions. the president’s son eventually paid roughly $2 million in back taxes and penalties after learning of the investigation and getting sober, following a yearslong struggle with drug addiction and alcoholism. in the weeks before the trial, the judge blocked biden’s lawyers from telling jurors about the belated tax payment, or about the potential origins of his addiction   dealing a major blow to his defense strategy. the special counsel himself, weiss, was sitting front row in the courtroom benches during the hearing, most of the time leaned over his knees and calmly tapping his feet as prosecutors laid bare the culmination of his six year investigation into biden’s finances and foreign deals. biden’s facial expression was stoic for the majority of the hearing. just before the judge sat the courtroom after an initial recess, biden stared blankly ahead of him for several moments. while wise recited the indictment, biden followed along closely with his own annotated copy. biden’s former business partner tony bobulinski attended the hearing, sitting with the public and press in the courtroom. a sharp critic of the biden family, he testified in the house republicans impeachment inquiry that also scrutinized many of the same foreign deals that were part of the tax case. claims from bobulinski and gop lawmakers that joe biden was intimately involved in biden’s lucrative foreign business deals, have not been proven. lowell’s leading role in the plea hearing was notable. he was the lead defense attorney for biden’s delaware gun case, but he was absent from a key pretrial hearing two weeks ago in the california tax case. instead, celebrity attorney mark geragos, who was retained earlier this summer, took the lead at that hearing. lowell did all the speaking for biden on thursday. asked by cnn after the hearing if there have been any contacts with president joe biden about a pardon, geragos said, “the question you should be asking is, are you disappointed that you don’t get to try the case?” the convoluted and drawn out plea proceedings thursday in los angeles were reminiscent of a similar hearing last summer in delaware, where the same parties attempted to get a judge’s approval for a plea agreement that would’ve resolved the tax and gun cases in one fell swoop. that agreement stunningly unraveled in open court, with the parties disagreeing on its terms, and the judge eventually withholding her support over constitutional concerns. ”i’ve been through one of these plea hearings before,” wise quipped, drawing a laugh from the judge as they all tried to figure out the way forward. “deja vu,” scarsi replied. this headline and story have been updated with additional reporting. © 2025 cable news network. a warner bros. discovery company. all rights reserved. cnn sans ™ & © 2016 cable news network.

hunter biden pleaded guilty to all federal charges in his tax evasion case thursday, avoiding a trial that was expected to be a grueling and costly public spectacle about his profligate spending habits and foreign business deals. after his recent conviction on felony gun charges, biden was facing a second criminal trial in a federal case over allegedly evading taxes on income earned from those foreign deals. the trial was set to begin thursday with jury selection in a los angeles federal court, but biden’s lawyers offered a surprise last minute alford plea in which he would maintain his innocence but concede there is enough evidence for a conviction. his lawyers backed away from that plan after prosecutors vociferously opposed it, and biden ultimately pleaded guilty to nine charges related to tax fraud and evasion. biden, 54, took an open plea, which means his sentencing is up to the judge in this case, district judge mark scarsi, a donald trump appointee without a prearranged agreement with prosecutors. sentencing will be on dec. 16, after november’s presidential election. “with regard to sentencing, there’s no guarantees,” scarsi said, according to politico. the washington post reports that scarsi told biden he could face up to 17 years in prison and fines of up to $1.3 million. hunter biden, the son of president joe biden, was charged with failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 through 2019 related to his foreign consultancy work. the indictment outlines nine counts against him, including two felony counts of filing a false return and an additional felony count of tax evasion. he has said that he repaid the government his delinquent taxes. federal prosecutors, led by leo wise and derek hines, have laid out a narrative depicting biden as someone who chose to spend extravagantly on drugs, escorts, and fancy cars rather than fulfilling his tax obligations. in the indictment, they allege that he mischaracterized personal expenditures as business deductions, such as college tuition for his children and over $27,000 spent on online pornography. “he describes partying in hotels with a cast of strippers,” wise said at a previous court hearing. “he chose to pay them, which is fine it’s america, you can do that. but then he chose to take it as a business deduction." biden’s defense team, led by attorney mark geragos, have argued that his struggles with substance abuse compounded by personal trauma from the death of his mother and his sister in a 1972 car accident when he was 3 years old and the death of his brother from cancer in 2015 impaired his ability to manage his finances responsibly. “the doj wants to paint a picture of a guy without a care in the world, partying at chateau marmont, without giving context as to what from his past may have affected him,” geragos said at an earlier hearing. republicans have long used biden’s bouts with drug addiction and his business dealings with burisma, a scandal plagued ukrainian energy firm, and cefc, a now bankrupt chinese conglomerate, to try to weaken his dad politically, opening congressional inquiries into biden’s work in the private sector and investigating whether it had any impact on joe biden’s decisions as president or vice president. but their attempts to portray the bidens as a “crime family” have failed to produce evidence implicating joe biden in hunter biden’s business activities. president biden hasn’t commented publicly on his son’s tax evasion charges, but has previously said he would not use his presidential powers to pardon him. on thursday, white house press secretary karine jean pierre reiterated that president biden will not pardon hunter, and also said the president wouldn’t try to commute hunter’s sentence. write to nik popli at nik.popli@time.com

copyright 2025 the associated press. all rights reserved. hunter biden has been convicted of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. president joe biden’s son, hunter biden, has been convicted of all three felony charges in his federal gun trial in delaware. (ap video: tassanee vejpongsa/erik verduzco) hunter biden, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden and his wife, melissa cohen biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, accompanied by his wife, melissa cohen biden, arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del (ap photo/matt rourke) president joe biden talks with his son hunter biden and wife melissa cohen biden, and grandson beau, as he arrives delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden greets his son hunter biden at delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden talks with his son hunter biden and wife melissa cohen biden, and grandson beau, as he arrives delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden talks with his son hunter biden and wife melissa cohen biden, and grandson beau, as he arrives delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) hunter biden, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden and his wife, melissa cohen biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, center, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden, left, and his wife, melissa cohen biden, right, walking out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden departs from federal court, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden and his wife, melissa cohen biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden arrives to federal court with his wife, melissa cohen biden, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden arrives to federal court with his wife, melissa cohen biden, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt rourke) james biden arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) valerie biden arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) file   first lady jill biden arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. first lady jill biden is kicking off her husband’s outreach to older voters, an effort blending rallies and phone banks with social events bingo nights and pickleball games. while president joe biden is in italy attending the group of seven summit, the first lady will travel to four swing states to launch the seniors for biden harris effort. (ap photo/matt slocum, file) hunter biden, accompanied by his wife, melissa cohen biden, arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, center, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden, left, and his wife, melissa cohen biden, right, walking out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden arrives to federal court, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden has been convicted of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. president joe biden’s son, hunter biden, has been convicted of all three felony charges in his federal gun trial in delaware. (ap video: tassanee vejpongsa/erik verduzco) hunter biden, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden and his wife, melissa cohen biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden and his wife, melissa cohen biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, accompanied by his wife, melissa cohen biden, arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden, accompanied by his wife, melissa cohen biden, arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del (ap photo/matt rourke) president joe biden talks with his son hunter biden and wife melissa cohen biden, and grandson beau, as he arrives delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden talks with his son hunter biden and wife melissa cohen biden, and grandson beau, as he arrives delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden greets his son hunter biden at delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden greets his son hunter biden at delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden talks with his son hunter biden and wife melissa cohen biden, and grandson beau, as he arrives delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden talks with his son hunter biden and wife melissa cohen biden, and grandson beau, as he arrives delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden talks with his son hunter biden and wife melissa cohen biden, and grandson beau, as he arrives delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) president joe biden talks with his son hunter biden and wife melissa cohen biden, and grandson beau, as he arrives delaware air national guard base in new castle, del., tuesday, june 11, 2024. (ap photo/manuel balce ceneta) hunter biden, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden and his wife, melissa cohen biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden and his wife, melissa cohen biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, center, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden, left, and his wife, melissa cohen biden, right, walking out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden, center, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden, left, and his wife, melissa cohen biden, right, walking out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden departs from federal court, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden departs from federal court, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden and his wife, melissa cohen biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden and his wife, melissa cohen biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden arrives to federal court with his wife, melissa cohen biden, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden arrives to federal court with his wife, melissa cohen biden, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden arrives to federal court with his wife, melissa cohen biden, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden arrives to federal court with his wife, melissa cohen biden, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt rourke) james biden arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) james biden arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) valerie biden arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) valerie biden arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) file   first lady jill biden arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. first lady jill biden is kicking off her husband’s outreach to older voters, an effort blending rallies and phone banks with social events bingo nights and pickleball games. while president joe biden is in italy attending the group of seven summit, the first lady will travel to four swing states to launch the seniors for biden harris effort. (ap photo/matt slocum, file) file   first lady jill biden arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. first lady jill biden is kicking off her husband’s outreach to older voters, an effort blending rallies and phone banks with social events bingo nights and pickleball games. while president joe biden is in italy attending the group of seven summit, the first lady will travel to four swing states to launch the seniors for biden harris effort. (ap photo/matt slocum, file) hunter biden, accompanied by his wife, melissa cohen biden, arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, accompanied by his wife, melissa cohen biden, arrives to federal court on hearing there is a verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, center, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden, left, and his wife, melissa cohen biden, right, walking out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden, center, president joe biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady jill biden, left, and his wife, melissa cohen biden, right, walking out of federal court after hearing the verdict, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. hunter biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden arrives to federal court, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden arrives to federal court, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) wilmington, del. (ap)   hunter biden was convicted tuesday of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. hunter biden, 54, stared straight ahead and showed little emotion as the verdict was read after jury deliberations that lasted only three hours over two days in wilmington, delaware. he hugged his attorneys, smiled wanly and kissed his wife, melissa, before leaving the courtroom with her. president joe biden said in a statement issued shortly after the verdict that he would accept the outcome and “continue to respect the judicial process as hunter considers an appeal.” what to know about hunter biden’s conviction: now hunter biden and presumptive republican presidential nominee donald trump, the president’s chief political rival, have both been convicted by american jurors in an election year that has been as much about the courtroom as about campaign events and rallies. ap correspondent julie walker reports jurors in hunter biden’s federal gun trial find him guilty. hunter biden, right, departs from federal court, monday, june 10, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden, right, departs from federal court, monday, june 10, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt slocum) hunter biden faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced by u.s. district judge maryellen noreika, though as a first time offender he would not get anywhere near the maximum, and there’s no guarantee the judge would send him to prison. she did not set a sentencing date. defense attorney abbe lowell said they would “continue to vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available.” in a written statement, hunter biden said he was disappointed by the outcome but grateful for the support of family and friends. the jury’s decision was read swiftly after the announcement that it reached a verdict. first lady jill biden sat through nearly every day of the trial but did not make it into the courtroom in time to hear the verdict. hunter biden walked out of the courthouse holding hands with the first lady and his wife before they got into waiting suvs and drove off. joe biden steered clear of the federal courtroom where his son was tried and said little about the case, wary of appearing to interfere in a criminal matter brought by his own justice department. but allies of the democrat have worried about the toll that the trial   and now the conviction   will take on the 81 year old, who has long been concerned with his only living son’s health and sustained sobriety. hunter biden’s conviction came just weeks after trump was found guilty of 34 felony charges related to a hush money payment to a porn actor in the 2016 campaign. the cases are in no way the same, and hunter biden is a private citizen who is not running for office. but they have both argued they were victimized by the politics of the moment. trump, however, has continued to falsely claim his verdict was “rigged,” while joe biden has said he would accept the verdict involving his son and would not seek to pardon him. in his statement tuesday, the president said he and the first lady are proud of their son, who says he has been sober since 2019, and will always be there for him with “love and support.” trump’s campaign called the verdict “nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the biden crime family.” trump and his allies have pressed unsubstantiated or debunked allegations that joe biden acted while vice president to advance his family members’ foreign business interests. the verdict came down as the president prepared to give a speech at a conference hosted by the everytown for gun safety action fund in washington. he did not mention his son as he spoke about his administration’s efforts to stop gun violence and the need to ban so called assault weapons. hours after the conviction, president biden hugged his son after landing in wilmington to spend the night with family before leaving wednesday for the group of seven leaders conference in italy. hunter biden, his wife and their child greeted the president on the tarmac, and the president lingered to visit with them for several minutes. jurors found hunter biden guilty of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days. the trial played out in the president’s home state, where hunter biden grew up and where the family is deeply established. joe biden spent 36 years as a senator in delaware, commuting daily to washington, and his other son, beau biden, was the state attorney general before he died of cancer. the proceedings put a spotlight on a dark time in hunter biden’s life, including his spiraling descent after beau’s death in 2015. the trial featured deeply personal testimony from former romantic partners and embarrassing evidence such as text messages and photos of hunter biden with drug paraphernalia or partially clothed. in his closing argument on monday, prosecutor leo wise acknowledged the evidence was “ugly.” but he told jurors it was also “absolutely necessary” to prove hunter was in the throes of addiction when he bought the gun and therefore lied when he checked “no” on the form that asked whether he was “an unlawful user of, or addicted to” drugs. before the case went to the jury, the prosecutor urged jurors to pay no mind to members of the president’s family sitting in the courtroom, telling them: “people sitting in the gallery are not evidence.” hunter biden arrives to federal court with his wife, melissa cohen biden, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt rourke) hunter biden arrives to federal court with his wife, melissa cohen biden, tuesday, june 11, 2024, in wilmington, del. (ap photo/matt rourke) david weiss, the prosecutor who has led the long running investigation into the president’s son, told reporters the case was about hunter biden’s “illegal choices” and “dangerous” conduct. “no one in this country is above the law,” said weiss, the trump nominated u.s. attorney for delaware, who was named special counsel by attorney general merrick garland in august. “everyone must be accountable for their actions.” hunter biden’s lawyers had argued that he did not consider himself an “addict” when he bought the gun. they sought to show he was trying to turn his life around at the time, having completed a rehabilitation program at the end of august 2018. hunter biden’s legal troubles aren’t over. he faces a trial in september in california on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes, and congressional republicans have signaled they will keep going after him in their stalled impeachment effort into the president. the president has not been accused or charged with any wrongdoing by prosecutors investigating his son. just last year, it appeared that hunter biden would avoid the spectacle of a trial so close to the election. under a deal with prosecutors, he was supposed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses and avoid prosecution in the gun case if he stayed out of trouble for two years. but the deal fell apart after noreika, who was nominated by trump, questioned unusual aspects of the proposed agreement, and the lawyers could not resolve the matter. hunter biden has said he was charged because the justice department bowed to pressure from republicans who argued the democratic president’s son was getting special treatment. richer and long reported from washington. associated press writers mike catalini and aamer madhani in wilmington contributed to this report. copyright 2025 the associated press. all rights reserved.

hunter biden’s conviction on felony gun charges increases the likelihood he could face stiffer penalties at his september tax evasion trial should he be found guilty, an expert told the post. one of biden’s current mitigating factors for when he is sentenced by judge maryellen noreika on the gun charges is the fact that he has no criminal history   something that won’t be true during his next trial in california overseen by judge mark c. scarsi. both jurists were appointed to the federal bench by former president donald trump. “it can undermine him in two ways. first, he cannot count a ‘mitigating’ factor of being without a criminal record or prior offenses to lower the sentencing level. second, the court can consider the aggravating factor of prior criminal conduct to increase the sentencing level,” said jonathan turley, a professor of law at george washington university who has followed the trial closely. “the tax case is far more serious in potential sentencing,” turley continued. “it was insane for hunter not to plead guilty [in the gun case] to increase the chances that he might avoid a prison sentence. that is doubly true with the california charges.” biden’s second trial is scheduled to begin in september. the first son faces six misdemeanor and three felony counts for allegedly failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal income taxes between 2016 and 2019. information from the hunter biden laptop   once dismissed by biden apologists and lefties as russian disinformation   has been a significant source of evidence for prosecutors in both legal cases. the tax evasion trial will play out during the height of the 2024 presidential election and has the potential to be a wellspring of embarrassing new revelations about the first family just as voters head to the polls. “if hunter and joe biden are found to have conspired together on tax evasion, and it turns out that joe biden really is the ‘big guy,’ then his campaign is over,” said rob cole, a gop consultant and senior advisor to former gov. george pataki   referencing a name assigned to president biden on his son’s infamous laptop. “in that case, donald trump will undoubtedly be the next president of the united states.”

by jackie luna for reuters hunter biden, son of us president joe biden, plead guilty to federal tax related charges. photo: ap / matt rourke hunter biden, son of us president joe biden, has pleaded guilty to federal tax charges in a surprise move that avoids a potentially embarrassing trial weeks before the us presidential election. biden had been set to stand trial in a los angeles federal courthouse on criminal charges of failing to pay us$1.4 million (nz$2.29m) in taxes while spending lavishly on drugs, sex workers and luxury items. instead, he pleaded guilty to all nine counts he faced. judge mark scarsi told biden he faces up to 17 years in prison and up to us$450,000 in penalties. he set sentencing for 16 december. defendants who plead guilty in criminal cases typically work out an agreement with prosecutors beforehand, hoping to receive a lower sentence in exchange for avoiding trial. that did not appear to be the case here. earlier in the day, biden had offered to plead guilty to the charges but avoid admitting wrongdoing, an unusual legal maneuver opposed by prosecutors. "it's not clear to us what they are trying to do," one prosecutor told the judge. the guilty plea heads off a weeks long trial that likely would have aired messy details of hunter biden's life during the election campaign. voters will choose on 5 november between vice president kamala harris, a democrat, and republican former president donald trump. joe biden dropped his re election bid in july under pressure from his fellow democrats. hunter biden, who has been open about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, is accused of failing to pay taxes from 2016 to 2019 while spending huge sums "on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, according to an indictment. he is appealing a june conviction in a separate case in delaware for illegally buying a gun while using drugs. that conviction means he could face a stiffer sentence if convicted in the tax case because he would be a repeat offender. the trial could also have shed light on his work with a ukrainian natural gas company and his other business dealings while his father was vice president. the president's republican foes have claimed those activities by his son were corrupt. the indictment says hunter biden "earned handsomely" while serving on the boards of burisma, a ukrainian industrial conglomerate, and a chinese private equity fund. hunter biden has denied any improper business dealings and republican led investigations in congress have not directly implicated his father in any wrongdoing.  reuters copyright © 2024, radio new zealand the us president's son has been convicted on gun charges and faces up to 25 years' prison. here's what happens next. president joe biden's son now faces up to 25 years' jail time over the conviction. the us president's son sat quietly in the gallery with his attorney, causing pandemonium. officials say an american company was paid by russian state media network rt to produce online content to influence the 2024 presidential election. for ad free news and current affairs world rss follow rnz news

sunday, february 09, 2025 9:23 am (paris) elections in ecuador amid an explosion of violence two years after the earthquake, villages in southern turkey face expropriation robert fico, the slovak leader who has made ukraine his 'enemy' sanctions against the icc: trump's present to netanyahu poland's jewish community cautiously 're emerges' at 80th anniversary of discovery of auschwitz, last survivors caution not to forget how a handful of far right accounts influence elon musk's vision of europe why europe's drive to rearm is stalling at the sarkozy gaddafi trial, the prosecution's case is slowly taking shape hundreds of mourners at funeral of french toddler who disappeared in 2023 at sarkozy's trial: a former friend, a 'generous' transfer, and a colombian villa wheelchairs in france will be fully reimbursed from december 1 why are us mexico relations so conflictual? auschwitz, 80 years commemoration: why didn't the allies try to stop the holocaust sooner? why does global hunger remain stubbornly high? trump's inauguration: watch the ceremony's highlights jacob rogozinski: 'who will forgive us if we fail to ask forgiveness for these crimes in gaza?' dominique méda: 'what europe needs is not a simplification shock, but an ambition shock' a dangerous attack against environmental agencies 'the new security environment in the nordic region should encourage the eu to seize its opportunity' the smell of dry cleaning, the odor of a garage: comme des garçons' non conformist fragrances 'kate from kharkiv' posts dark messages on sleepless nights: 'it's not another life, a virtual one, it's mine' the life of dreams and nightmares arizona's japanese americans lived during the second world war in paris's saint germain neighborhood, buly combines a traditional ethos and modern efficiency to craft its beauty products in paris's saint germain neighborhood, buly combines a traditional ethos and modern efficiency to craft its beauty products 'making notre dame's medieval stones and sculptures speak,' a striking journey into fragments of the sacred at the musée de cluny balzac by rodin: anatomy of a statue a haven of peace in the heart of paris's pigalle neighborhood the democratic president had previously said he would not pardon him or commute his sentence after his convictions in the two cases in delaware and california. le monde with ap 4 min read president joe biden pardoned his son hunter on the night of sunday, december 1, sparing him a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members. the democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after his convictions in the two cases in delaware and california. the move comes weeks before hunter biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges, and less than two months before president elect donald trump is set to return to the white house. it caps a long running legal saga for the president's son, who publicly disclosed he was under federal investigation in december 2020   a month after joe biden's 2020 victory. in june, biden categorically ruled out a pardon or commutation for his son, telling reporters as his son faced trial in the delaware gun case, "i abide by the jury decision. i will do that and i will not pardon him." as recently as november 8, days after trump's victory, white house press secretary karine jean pierre ruled out a pardon or clemency for the younger biden, saying, "we've been asked that question multiple times. our answer stands, which is no." in a statement released sunday evening, biden said, "today, i signed a pardon for my son hunter," alleging that the prosecution of his son was politically motivated and a "miscarriage of justice." "the charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election," biden said. "no reasonable person who looks at the facts of hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than hunter was singled out only because he is my son." "i hope americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision," biden added, claiming he made the decision this weekend. the president had spent the thanksgiving holiday in nantucket, massachusetts, with hunter and his family. hunter was convicted in june in delaware federal court of three felonies for purchasing a gun in 2018 when, prosecutors said, he lied on a federal form by claiming he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. he was set to stand trial in september in the california case accusing him of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. but he agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges in a surprise move hours after jury selection was set to begin. hunter biden said he was pleading guilty in that case to spare his family more pain and embarrassment after the gun trial aired salacious details about his struggles with a crack cocaine addiction. the tax charges carry up to 17 years behind bars and the gun charges are punishable by up to 25 years in prison, though federal sentencing guidelines were expected to call for far less time and it was possible he would avoid prison time entirely. hunter biden was supposed to be sentenced this month in the two federal cases, which the special counsel brought after a plea deal with prosecutors that likely would have spared him prison time fell apart under scrutiny by a judge. under the original deal, hunter was supposed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses and would have avoided prosecution in the gun case as long as he stayed out of trouble for two years. but the plea hearing quickly unraveled last year when the judge raised concerns about unusual aspects of the deal. he was subsequently indicted in the two cases. the sweeping pardon covers not just those offenses, but also any other "offenses against the united states which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from january 1, 2014, through december 1, 2024." hunter biden's legal team this weekend released a 52 page white paper titled "the political prosecutions of hunter biden," describing the president's son as a "surrogate to attack and injure his father, both as a candidate in 2020 and later as president." hunter biden's lawyers have long argued that prosecutors bowed to political pressure to indict the president's son amid heavy criticism by trump and other republicans of what they called the "sweetheart" plea deal. representative james comer, one of the republican chairmen leading congressional investigations into biden's family, blasted the president's decision to issue his son a pardon, saying that the evidence against hunter was "just the tip of the iceberg." "it's unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, president biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability," comer wrote on social media x. biden is hardly the first president to deploy his pardon powers to benefit those close to him. in his final weeks in office, trump pardoned charles kushner, the father of his son in law, jared kushner, as well as multiple allies convicted in special counsel robert mueller's russia investigation. trump over the weekend announced plans to nominate the elder kushner to be the us envoy to france in his next administration. steven cheung, a spokesperson for trump, who has pledged to dramatically overhaul and install loyalists across the justice department after he was prosecuted for his role in trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election, said in a statement, "that system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all americans, which is exactly what president trump will do as he returns to the white house with an overwhelming mandate from the american people." hunter biden said in an emailed statement that he will never take for granted the relief granted to him and vowed to devote the life he has rebuilt "to helping those who are still sick and suffering." "i have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction   mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport," the younger biden said. spokespeople for special counsel david weiss, who brought the cases, and hunter biden's lawyer didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment sunday night. le monde with ap lecture du monde en cours sur un autre appareil. vous pouvez lire le monde sur un seul appareil à la fois ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil. parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire le monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil. vous ne pouvez lire le monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur, téléphone ou tablette). comment ne plus voir ce message ? en cliquant sur « continuer à lire ici » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter le monde avec ce compte. que se passera t il si vous continuez à lire ici ? ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil. ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte. y a t il d’autres limites ? non. vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez, mais en les utilisant à des moments différents. vous ignorez qui est l’autre personne ? nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe. lecture restreinte votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article pour plus d’informations, merci de contacter notre service commercial. you have opted to refuse the use of cookies while browsing our website, including personalized advertising cookies. the content of this website is the work of over 530 journalists who deliver high quality, reliable and comprehensive news and innovative online services every day. this work is supported by additional revenue from advertising and subscriptions. subscription le monde in english follow le monde
trump administration the president’s son, who was convicted of three felonies, could face a stiffer sentence if he is convicted in a separate tax case scheduled for september. by eileen sullivan hunter biden, the president’s son, was found guilty on three felony counts related to buying a gun while he was in the throes of drug addiction. on oct. 12, 2018, he filled out the required federal background check form, marking “no” to a question about his drug use. his lawyers argued that the special counsel who brought the case, david c. weiss, had no evidence that mr. biden used drugs the day of his purchase or in the surrounding period. before deciding to convict him on all three charges, the jury heard about mr. biden’s spiraling addiction to crack cocaine from women in his life, as well as in mr. biden’s own words, which the prosecution shared by using excerpts from the audiobook of his memoir. here are some takeaways. the verdict in mr. biden’s trial came just weeks after former president donald j. trump was convicted in a manhattan courtroom of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star. both trials were surrounded by partisan dynamics and questions about the criminal justice system’s ability to operate without regard to politics. mr. biden’s trial was held in the biden family’s hometown, in the middle of a presidential campaign and amid intense pressure from republicans to find criminality by hunter biden. the fact that juries have now convicted both the presumptive republican presidential nominee and the son of his opponent, the sitting president, will not end debate about politics and the courts. but it might keep the issue from becoming further inflamed. in his 2021 memoir, hunter biden laid bare his unrelenting abuse of crack cocaine. witness testimony and text messages added to the damaging portrait of the president’s son, a stark reminder of his yearslong troubles at a time when his father is in a close re election race.

 print u.s. president joe biden has pardoned his son hunter, who was facing sentencing this month for gun and tax offenses and could have been imprisoned for years. biden had for months pledged not to pardon his 54 year old son, a lawyer who for years was caught up in cocaine addiction as his life spiraled out of control. but the president said in a statement late sunday that hunter biden’s prosecution was selective and politically motivated, aimed at undercutting his reelection campaign before he dropped out of the race in july for another four year term. “the charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” biden said. hunter biden was convicted of three felonies in june for a 2018 gun purchase. prosecutors said he falsely claimed on a federal form to not be illegally using or addicted to drugs. he also pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in a case where he was accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.