Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, entered the guilty plea hours after jury selection was supposed to begin in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Although President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential election muted the potential political impact of the tax case, the trial was expected to take a heavy emotional toll on the president in the final months of his political career.

The case, brought by the Justice Department, accused Hunter Biden of participating in a scheme to avoid paying at least $1.4 million (€1.26 million) in taxes.+

"Enough is enough," defense attorney Abbe Lowell told the judge before Hunter Biden entered his plea. "Mr. Biden is prepared, because of the public and private interest, to proceed today and finish this."
Hunter Biden was already facing the prospect of potential prison time after his conviction in June on three felony gun charges.

Surprising plea decision

The guilty plea came as a surprise to many observers as Hunter Biden and prosecutors had not agreed to reduce the terms of his sentence as is often the case when a defendant pleads guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence and avoiding a long trial. 

Earlier, Biden had offered to plead guilty to the charges but avoid admitting wrongdoing, an unusual legal maneuver that prosecutors rejected.

Before Biden entered the plea in a Los Angeles court, Judge Mark Scarsi told him he faces up to 17 years in prison and up to $450,000 in fines. The judge scheduled sentencing for December 16.

Hunter Biden, who has openly struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, is accused of failing to pay his 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.

dh/sms (AP, dpa, Reuters)