By Jackie Luna for Reuters
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, intends to plead guilty to federal tax-related charges. Photo: AP / Matt Rourke
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, intends to plead guilty to federal tax-related charges, US television networks have reported - a move that would head off a potentially embarrassing trial shortly before the 5 November presidential election.
NBC News, Fox News and CNN reported that the younger Biden would plead guilty in federal court in Los Angeles, where the trial was due to begin on Thursday. His lawyers and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He was expected to appear in court at 11am Pacific time (6am NZT).
Hunter Biden had previously pleaded not guilty in the criminal case, which accuses him of failing to pay US$1.4 million (NZ$2.29m) in taxes while spending lavishly on drugs, sex workers and luxury items.
He was charged in December as part of a wide-ranging probe of his finances and business dealings, becoming the first child of a sitting president to face criminal charges.
He is appealing a June conviction in a separate case in Delaware for illegally buying a gun while using drugs. That conviction means he could face a stiffer sentence if convicted in the tax case because he would be a repeat offender.
A guilty plea would avoid a weeks-long trial that likely would have aired messy details of Hunter Biden's life ahead of the election between Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, and Republican former President Donald Trump. Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid in July under pressure from his fellow Democrats.
Hunter Biden, who has been open about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, is accused of failing to pay taxes from 2016 to 2019 while spending huge sums "on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature", according to an indictment.
The trial could also have shed light on his work with a Ukrainian natural gas company and his other business dealings while his father was vice president. The president's Republican foes have claimed those activities by his son were corrupt.
The indictment says Hunter Biden "earned handsomely" while serving on the boards of Burisma, a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate, and a Chinese private equity fund.
Hunter Biden has denied any improper business dealings and Republican-led investigations in Congress have not directly implicated his father in any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
