Hunter Biden tax charges dismissed by federal judge following plea deal breakdown
A federal judge in Delaware has dismissed most of the federal tax charges brought against Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, after Biden and the Justice Department failed to agree to a plea deal the judge had proposed.
Judge Richard G. Andrews said that due to the failure of both parties to reach an agreement that would provide a “fair, reasonable, and adequate disposition of the case,” he was left with no choice but to dismiss the charges.
“In light of the parties’ inability to reach a plea agreement, and in my view of the legal and practical implications of such a failure, I am dismissing the indicted case without prejudice,” Judge Andrews said.
The three charges against Hunter Biden related to his failure to file taxes on overseas income from an airline consulting firm, Burisma, between 2014 and 2018. Under the plea offer proposed by Judge Andrews, Biden would have had to plead guilty to the charges and pay restitution and a fine.
However, while both Biden and the government initially indicated their willingness to agree to the deal, the negotiations ultimately broke down and no agreement was reached. According to the judge, Biden was unwilling to accept certain components of the plea agreement, including the amount of restitution and fine. The dismissal of the charges does not preclude the government from bringing the charges again against Biden in the future.