As settlement with federal prosecutors fell down in a Delaware court on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter entered a not guilty plea to minor tax offenses.
Hunter Biden made the unexpected move after Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned the terms of the initial agreement, which called for him to plead guilty and acknowledge to possessing an illegal firearm. As a result, the settlement was essentially put on hold.
Biden, 53, whose legal troubles have cast a shadow over his father’s reelection campaign, had reached an agreement with prosecutors that he would be sentenced to probation on two tax avoidance counts.
The deal also specified that the firearms charge would eventually be erased if he adhered to a counselling-and-rehabilitation programme.
But the deal fell apart after Noreika queried why the gun charge was included in a tax case, and whether the plea agreement protected Biden from charges that might arise from a wider ongoing investigation of his business dealings, according to US media.
When prosecutors could not resolve her questions, Noreika said she could not accept the deal, and Biden then entered a not guilty plea to close the session.
That was expected to send the deal back to negotiations, which could become more complex.
Noreika gave the two sides 30 days to report back on where they stand.
Meanwhile, prosecutor David Weiss confirmed to the court that his office is still examining other possible crimes by Biden, without offering specifics.
One issue mentioned in the court was a possible violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, relating to Biden’s business deals in China, Ukraine and other countries dating back to the early 2010s, when his father was vice president.
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