Rather than a California jury determining his fate, Hunter Biden's future is now in the hands of a Trump-appointed federal judge.
Although he remained silent leaving the courthouse, inside Biden entered a guilty plea to nine criminal charges on $1.4 million in taxes he owed – and later paid.
That guilty plea to three felony and six misdemeanor charges means he could face up to 17 years in prison and close to $1.5 million in fines.
Before Biden's dramatic courtroom confession, he initially tried to enter what's known as an "Alford plea," which would have allowed him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging that the evidence likely would lead to a guilty verdict.
Leo Wise, the lead federal prosecutor working on the case, protested, saying, "I want to make crystal clear: the U.S. opposes an Alford plea... Hunter Biden is not innocent, he is guilty."
The special counsel's case alleges a four-year pattern in which Biden, the president's son, did not pay federal taxes, failed to file federal income taxes, and sent false tax returns.
"Like millions of Americans, I failed to file and pay my taxes on time. For that I am responsible," Biden said in a statement. "As I have stated, addiction is not an excuse, but it is an explanation for some of my failures at issue in this case."
Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell, told the court that the surprise decision was made to spare Biden's family. Several members of his family were expected to be called as witnesses to testify about personal details of Hunter's life as a drug addict – similar to what happened at Biden's firearms trial in Delaware, in which a jury found him guilty in June.
"Hunter decided to enter his plea to protect those he loves from unnecessary hurt and cruel humiliation," Lowell told reporters afterwards. "Hunter put his family first today. And it was a brave and loving thing to do."
The White House is standing by President Biden's past remarks in which he said he will not pardon his son.
The younger Biden remains free on bond until his sentencing hearing set for December 16, which comes a month after his sentencing on the gun charges, November 12 .
U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, who's overseeing the tax case, could take into account that Biden has paid his taxes in full, but he'll also weigh Biden's felony conviction in Delaware in accordance with U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
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