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[global times special correspondent wang yi] according to cnn, hunter biden, son of us president biden, pleaded guilty to all nine charges of tax crimes in a federal court in los angeles, california on the 5th. reuters said that in the final sprint of the us presidential election, hunter's guilty plea avoided the embarrassment of biden's democratic party due to his trial in court.

hunter biden (center) walked out of the court after being found guilty on june 11, local time. (visual china)

the u.s. department of justice accused hunter in december last year of living a lavish lifestyle while spending millions of dollars without paying at least $1.4 million in taxes. according to the indictment filed in the central district court of california, hunter was convicted of three felonies and six misdemeanors involving tax evasion, including failure to declare and pay taxes, tax evasion and filing false returns.

cnn said that hunter had previously refused to plead guilty. when the court began to select a jury on the morning of the 5th, hunter's lawyer suddenly and unexpectedly announced that hunter was ready to change his not guilty defense. hunter had sought a special agreement, that is, he admitted that the prosecution had enough evidence to convict, but he could insist that he was innocent. after being rejected by the prosecution, hunter told the judge that he pleaded guilty to all charges.

the verdict on hunter's tax case is expected to be held in december this year, and he may face up to 17 years in prison and a fine of $1.3 million. in addition to the tax crime charges, hunter was also found guilty of three felony counts related to illegal gun possession in june this year, and the relevant verdict may be made in mid-october.

hunter, 54, is biden's only surviving son. biden has repeatedly told the media that if his son is convicted, he will not pardon him before leaving office.