Hunter Biden plans to change his plea in tax evasion trial in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) — A lawyer for Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, announced in court Thursday that Hunter Biden plans to change his not guilty plea before the start of his trial on tax charges in Los Angeles, western U.S. state of California.
Hunter Biden, 54, was indicted in California in December on nine counts related to a Justice Department investigation into his taxes. Federal prosecutors charged him with evading at least 1.4 million U.S. dollars in tax payments.
The only surviving son of President Biden had previously pleaded not guilty in the case.
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell announced Hunter Biden’s plans to change his previous plea just as jury selection was set to begin, but did not provide further details, reported Los Angeles Times, the biggest newspaper on the U.S. West Coast.
Hunter Biden walked into the courtroom holding hands with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, and flanked by Secret Service agents, said the report, adding that Hunter Biden’s decision to change his plea Thursday came after the judge issued some unfavorable pre-trial rulings for the defense, including rejecting a proposed defense expert lined up to testify about addiction.
Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony gun charges in a separate case in June. His conviction is related to purchasing a firearm in 2018 while addicted to crack cocaine, which is the first time in U.S. history that a sitting president’s child has been convicted of a crime. ■