The youngest son of the US president insists he is innocent but agrees to a plea deal that would result in his conviction. The judge still has to approve the agreement.
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Hunter Biden wants to change the agreement he made with the California State Attorney General’s Office. The son of the American president filed a new request in the California court on Thursday, the day a jury was due to be selected for his trial, to avoid going to trial for tax evasion, CNN reported.
The plea deal is not an admission of guilt. Known as an Alford Appeal, it is one of several options available to defendants in the United States to reach a deal with state or federal prosecutors and avoid a trial. The unique feature of the Alford Appeal is that it allows the defendant to maintain his innocence but end up acknowledging that there is sufficient evidence to convict him and accept the sentence without undergoing a lengthy trial.
Described by CNN as a “surprising” action by Hunter Biden, his lawyer Abbe Lowell explained that the The goal is to “solve this today.” [quinta-feira]” since the prosecution did not reach an agreement with the defense, in which they dropped some charges in exchange for an admission of guilt and a reduction in sentence for others. The only proposal presented by the US prosecutors was a full admission of guilt on all nine charges, something that Biden rejected.
Jury selection was scheduled for Thursday. The session was adjourned so Judge Mark Scarsi could consider the defense appeal and is due to resume shortly with a decision on whether to accept the appeal or whether the trial will continue. If the appeal is not accepted, the trial will proceed with jury selection on Thursday and Friday.
This is Joe Biden’s son’s second trial in 2024. In June, he was found guilty of three federal weapons offenses in Delaware. Now, Nine tax crimes are at stakeBiden failed to pay $1.4 million (plus €1.2 million) and filed false tax returns. Biden used the money to buy luxury cars, extravagant hotels and sex workers.
Joe Biden’s son found guilty of all three counts
Source: Observadora
