Hip-hop artist Kodak Black’s lawyer, Bradford Cohen, criticized the recent plea deal reached by the Justice Department and Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, in a federal weapons crime case. Cohen, who represented Black in a similar case, voiced his concerns about the disparity in treatment between the two individuals.
Cohen argued that there is no precedent for avoiding jail time in gun-related charges. He questioned the two-tier justice system, citing Black’s more than three-year prison sentence for falsifying information on federal forms to purchase firearms. Black was later pardoned and had his sentence commuted by former President Donald Trump in 2021.
https://t.co/20Z6Dwhnda After 26 years, I have yet to have a plea in a case with an illegal possession of a weapon and tax evasion, that did not come with some kind of prison sentence. Indigents charged the same way would be getting jail time. pt.1
— Bradford Cohen (@bradfordcohen) June 20, 2023
In contrast, Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax. He also entered into a pretrial diversion agreement related to a separate charge of possessing a firearm as an unlawful user of a controlled substance. The diversion program aims to address the underlying issues leading to the offense.
Cohen highlighted the uncommon nature of such a lenient plea deal, especially for public figures. He referenced the case of actress Felicity Huffman, who received a two-week prison sentence in a college admissions scandal. Cohen questioned why Biden, facing federal charges, would avoid prison altogether while Huffman was required to serve time.
The attorney expressed his skepticism regarding the inclusion of a diversion program, emphasizing its rarity in federal cases. He suggested that the plea deal was an attempt to save face by charging Biden while avoiding imprisonment, with the hope that President Biden wouldn’t pardon his son until the end of his term.
Cohen concluded by emphasizing the seriousness of federal crimes and the expectation of prison sentences for such offenses. He criticized the plea deal’s lack of appropriate punishment, expressing his disbelief at the disparate treatment between his client and Hunter Biden.
