Hunter Biden’s plea agreement puts an end to his legal troubles, but the circumstances surrounding the accord has ignited new questions over whether the president’s son got what Republicans have described as a “sweetheart” deal, Politico reports.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to federal tax offenses and has accepted a diversion program on a felony gun charge over his false claim that he didn’t have a drug problem on a gun-purchase application in 2018.
Experts interviewed by the political news outlet are split over whether Hunter Biden got preferential treatment. The president’s son could avoid a prison sentence if the deal is accepted by the court.
Four former IRS agents were interviewed over the question of whether Hunter Biden’s deal is consistent with what ordinary taxpayers accused of similar misconduct would face, the report said.
Maggie Abdo-Gomez, a Miami tax attorney who previously served as an IRS lawyer, was among two experts who told Politico that the president’s son was treated as would anyone else.
“I’ve only seen them — one time — prosecute someone for failure to pay taxes,” Abdo-Gomez said. “Because the truth is, if we prosecuted for failure to pay taxes, the jails would be full. Forget the drug dealers and the murderers and everybody else. I have a small practice, and I’ve got tons of people that owe taxes.”
Former IRS investigator Kathy Enstrom is among two experts who told Politico they believe Hunter Biden received preferential treatment.
“This is a little bit unique in terms of how they’re utilizing the 7203 misdemeanor charge,” Enstrom said, noting the provision of the U.S. code under which the president’s son is pleading guilty.
“I just haven’t seen that too often, mostly because the agents of IRS CI work the most egregious cases, and when they move forward with investigations, they’re looking toward a felony conviction, not necessarily something less than that. The resources of IRS CI are very limited and so that’s their main goal, ultimately — a felony conviction.”
