BREAKING: Hunter Biden pleads guilty to 3 felonies, other charges in tax evasion case

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in a Los Angeles court on Thursday to nine tax evasion charges, three of which are felonies.

According to the Daily Mail, Judge Mark Scarsi told the president’s son that he could face a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a $1 million fine once convicted of the three felony and six misdemeanor counts.

In entering a guilty plea, Abbe Lowell said his client did not want to cause more difficulty for the family. "Your honor has basically indicated that there’s a need to address the public interest," Lowell said. "But Mr. Biden also has to address the private interest. This has been a difficult time for him and his family. Enough is enough"

Biden’s lawyers first attempted to enter an "Alford plea" which would have seen Hunter plead guilty but maintain his innocence. His attorneys later agreed to a standard guilty plea after an exchange with prosecutors.

After a three-hour recess Thursday afternoon, attorneys returned and Department of Justice prosecutor Leo Wise told the judge, "I want to make something crystal clear: the United States opposes an Alford plea. Hunter Biden is not innocent. Hunter Biden is guilty. He is not allowed special terms."

He added that allowing Biden to plead guilty while maintaining innocence would be an "injustice" and "contrary to the rule of law."

Special counsel David Weiss alleged in the indictment that Biden "engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020."

This is a breaking story. Please refresh the page for updates.