Hunter Biden And Federal Prosecutor Settlement: What We Know

If you only have a few seconds, read these lines:

On June 20, 2023, US Attorney David Weiss (appointed by then-President Donald Trump in 2017) announced in court in Wilmington that he had reached a settlement with Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hunter Biden would plead guilty to two counts of non-payment of federal taxes and agree to participate in a controlled substance addiction surveillance program for firearm possession.
According to an analysis of official figures from the Pew Research Center, nearly 90% of defendants under federal indictments reached settlement agreements with prosecutors in fiscal 2022.

By: Rafael Olavarria

On June 20, 2023, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David Weiss announced in court in Wilmington that he had reached a settlement with Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden (Democratic Party), in which he Hunter is guilty of two counts of non-payment of federal taxes and has agreed to participate in an illegal gun surveillance program.

What is Hunter Biden accused of and what is known about the agreement with prosecutors?

According to District Attorney Weiss’ findings, the president’s son faces two counts of willful non-payment of federal taxes and one count of illegal possession of firearms by a controlled substance addict.

In the case of the first two counts, the prosecutor asserts that Hunter Biden received $1,500,000 per year in taxable income (taxable income) in 2017 and 2018, of which he pays $100,000 each year to the IRS must . . According to the allegation, Hunter Biden willfully (willfully) failed to pay his debt to the IRS within the time limit set by law. According to the plea agreement, Hunter will plead guilty to both of those charges.

In the case of the third count, the prosecution finds that in October 2018, Hunter Biden “knowingly used and was dependent on illegally controlled substances… knowingly possessed a firearm…”. Federal law states that individuals who are “addicted to controlled substances” cannot own a firearm. Hunter Biden recounted in his autobiography, published in 2021, that he suffered from cocaine addiction.

According to the prosecution document, Hunter Biden will plead not guilty to this final charge but will enter into a pretrial diversion. The Department of Justice (DOJ) explains that pre-trial diversion is a program in which the defendant voluntarily agrees to remain under supervision and meet certain requirements in exchange for not being charged or facing the judge a lighter sentence is recommended by the public prosecutor.

According to the Department of Justice, one of the main objectives of this program is to “deter future criminal activity and encourage the rehabilitation of some offenders” through a “system of surveillance and community services, which may include mental health and mental health treatment belongs to drug abuse”. “Substances”.

Details of the deal have not yet been released. However, as established by the American Bar Association, no judge is required to follow the prosecutor’s recommendation. In other words, it’s up to the judge in this case, Maryellen Noreika (appointed in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump), to accept or reject the agreement between the prosecution and Hunter Biden. However, experts interviewed by Factchequeado tell us that this rarely happens.

It is common for a defendant to agree with a federal prosecutor not to stand trial

According to this analysis by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank dedicated to data research, of the nearly 72,000 people indicted for federal crimes in fiscal 2022, nearly 90% never made it to trial but instead reached a settlement with the prosecution, to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Of the fewer than 1,700 who came to trial, only 290 were found not guilty. The rest were found guilty, according to the analysis.

Factchequeado logo graphic created in Flourish.

Federal sentencing guidelines call for settlement agreements, says former prosecutor Joan Meyer fact checked. The reason, Meyer says, is that “if every case went to trial, the judges would be working around the clock.” This creates an incentive for the accused that effectively results in a reduced sentence in exchange for an admission of guilt.”

Once the defendant admits his guilt in court, he gets a sort of “points” in his favor that can help him get his sentence reduced, he said fact checked Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor.

David Weiss was appointed federal prosecutor in Delaware in 2017 by then-President Donald Trump.

Weiss was appointed by then-President Donald Trump (Republican Party), who at the time considered him to share his “vision” to “make America safe again.” According to the Justice Department’s website, Weiss was sworn into office on February 22, 2018 and has been in charge of the Hunter Biden investigation ever since.

The Joe Biden administration kept Weiss in office, and Biden-appointed Attorney General Merrick Garland said in March 2023 during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that he would not interfere with Weiss’ investigation into Hunter Biden or the takeover decision. Garland said at the hearing that Weiss could expand his investigation beyond Delaware if necessary.

fact checked is a verification tool building a Spanish-speaking community to fight disinformation in the United States. do you wanna be there join and Check the content you receive by sending it to our WhatsApp +16468736087 or at factchequeado.com/whatsapp.