Unexpected Twist in Hunter Biden Court Appearance: Plea Deal Collapses

During Hunter Biden’s court appearance, a surprising turn of events unfolded. The plea deal that Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, expected to accept fell apart, leading him to plead ‘not guilty’. Federal prosecutors confirmed that he is still under investigation.

Hunter Biden was supposed to plead guilty to two minor tax offenses, namely the deliberate failure to pay federal income tax, during his court appearance. This plea deal intended to help him avoid jail time for a serious gun charge.

Judge Questions the Plea Deal During Hunter Biden’s Court Appearance

However, during Hunter Biden’s court appearance, Judge Maryellen Noreika did not accept the plea agreement. She raised questions about its constitutionality, particularly the diversion clause and the immunity that Hunter Biden would receive.

Hunter Biden also expected to enter a pretrial diversion agreement concerning a separate felony charge. This charge was related to the possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

During Hunter Biden’s court appearance, the judge pressed federal prosecutors about the investigation and asked if there was a possibility for future charges. The prosecutors confirmed that Hunter Biden was under active investigation but did not specify the nature of the investigation.

The prosecutors also stated that Hunter Biden pleading guilty to the two minor tax offenses would not protect him from future charges.

This led to the breakdown of the original plea deal. The defense attorney did not agree with this, leading to the plea deal being declared null and void.

Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty

After the plea deal collapsed during Hunter Biden’s court appearance, both sides asked the judge for time to negotiate.

Eventually, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty as Judge Noreika could not accept the plea deal as it was structured. She expressed her concerns about the constitutionality of the diversion deal related to the felony gun charge.

The diversion was an agreement in which the government would not charge Hunter Biden with the more serious federal gun charge if he pleaded guilty to the minor tax charges and behaved under certain terms of the agreement for about 24 months.

If Hunter Biden breached the diversion, the government would try to bring the serious gun charge against him.