CV NEWS FEED // On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected Hunter Biden’s plea deal, allowing the investigation into his dealings to continue and exposing him to the full force of legal consequences for his actions. 

Currently, Hunter Biden faces the penalty of two years in prison for tax fraud, a $25,000 fine for each tax violation count, and up to 10 years in prison for the illegal ownership of a firearm. As CatholicVote has reported, he had pled guilty to the charges and agreed to a pretrial diversion program:

A pretrial diversion program, according to the Department of Justice website, can “divert certain offenders from traditional criminal justice processing into alternative systems of supervision and service….” Those who successfully complete diversion programs can see a “declination of charges, dismissal or reduction of charges, or a more favorable recommendation at sentencing.” 

Critics have called Hunter Biden’s plea a “sweetheart deal” through which he would avoid the consequences of his actions and be protected against further investigations. 

Noreika was expected to accept the plea deal and end the five-year investigation into Hunter Biden’s illegal activities. “I am concerned you are taking provisions out of the plea agreement,” Noreika instead stated. 

“When she questioned if the investigation into Hunter Biden was still ongoing, the prosecution said ‘yes,’ clarifying recent questions about whether the plea deal would mark the conclusion of the yearslong inquiry into the younger Biden’s business dealings,” The Washington Examiner reported:

A federal prosecutor under U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, who led the investigation and brokered the plea agreement, then remarked they weren’t at liberty to divulge additional details about the investigation.

“Then why are we doing this piecemeal?” Noreika asked.

“I understand why you want to get this resolved but I’m not in a position to do so now,” Noreika later added.

…At the prospect of Hunter Biden seeing future prosecution, his attorney, Chris Clark, concluded, “As far as I’m concerned, the plea agreement is null and void.”

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