A look at the winding legal saga of Hunter Biden that ended in an unexpected guilty plea

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The legal saga surrounding Hunter Biden took an unexpected turn when he pleaded guilty to nine federal tax counts after prosecutors refused to budge in their opposition to a special plea that would have allowed him to maintain his innocence.

The twist that played out as jury selection was scheduled to start in the tax trial Thursday almost brings to a close a yearslong investigation of President Joe Biden’s son. The case has been punctuated by Republicans’ allegations of preferential treatment and accusations by his defense attorneys that prosecutors overcorrected and bowed to political pressure when two indictments were issued as a previous plea deal fell apart.

Hunter Biden will now await sentencing in both his June jury conviction on charges that he lied about his drug use on a federal form to purchase a gun, which he possessed for 11 days, and the tax case he pleaded guilty to Thursday.

Here’s a look at the winding legal road that led to the surprise plea.

The plea deal that collapsed

Hunter Biden had initially agreed to plead guilty to a negotiated misdemeanor tax charge as part of a deal with the Justice Department. That deal would have seen the gun charges dismissed in a diversion agreement as long as he stayed out of trouble for two years and likely would have come with a recommendation for no prison time.

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