A U.S. District Judge appointed by former president Donald Trump derailed an expected plea deal in Hunter Biden‘s federal tax case, raising concerns about the terms of the deal the First Son struck with the government to plead guilty to two charges of failure to pay taxes.
Due to the unexpected twist in the case, Biden pleaded “not guilty” to the charges instead of the original expected guilty plea until the prosecution and defense can meet and address the questions brought by U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika.
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Trump-Appointed Judge Questions Terms Of Hunter Biden Plea Deal
Judge Noreika was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware by former president Donald Trump in in 2017, and has since been considered a potential nominee for a federal judgeship in the Federal Circuit by current president Joe Biden. Noreika was assigned to the criminal case against Hunter Biden in 2023.
During a hearing in the Biden tax case on Wednesday, the judge appeared upset that she was, in her opinion, being used as a "rubber stamp" for the deal, wanting to instead receive clarity on how two potential deals involving Hunter Biden—one regarding the unpaid taxes and one regarding a gun possession charge—potentially intersected and how she was meant to preside over the case. The judge also expressed concern that the tax charge plea agreement did not give her the authority to either reject or modify the deal and that the gun charge plea deal could "shield" Hunter Biden against further financial- and tax-related prosecution.
Hunter Biden Charged With Failure To Pay Taxes And Illegal Gun Possession
The original tax charges stemmed from, according to the prosecution, the fact that "Hunter Biden received taxable income in excess of $1,500,000 annually in calendar years 2017 and 2018. Despite owing in excess of $100,000 in federal income taxes each year, he did not pay the income tax due for either year." In the original proposed plea deal currently put on hold, provisions were made that prosecutors would recommend probation for Biden regarding the tax charges, and the separate felony gun charge would be dropped if the younger Biden son were to meet certain conditions proposed by the court.
The gun charge incurred by Biden was for illegally owning a Colt Cobra .38 Special handgun. The former attorney had likely reached a pretrial agreement with the prosecution that would delay the charges for 24 months. Provided that he would meet additional terms set by the court, the charge would be dropped. Due to Judge Noreika's uncertainty over her jurisdiction in the gun charge case, both plea deals were put on pause. This news flies in the face of Republican claims that Hunter Biden has received preferential treatment from the legal system because of his father Joe Biden's status as the United States President. As Noreika was a Trump appointee, it seems the former president has had a direct impact on the Biden case, even without meaning to.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the developments on Wednesday, "Hunter Biden is a private citizen, and this was a personal matter for him. As we have said, the president, the first lady, they love their son, and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life." Jean-Pierre added, "This case was handled independently, as all of you know, by the Justice Department under the leadership of a prosecutor appointed by the former president, President Trump."
