Hunter Biden found guilty on all 3 counts in federal gun trial
President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, was just found guilty by a Delaware jury on all three counts in the indictment brought by Department of Justice special counsel David Weiss.
The 54-year-old's criminal convictions — the first ever for a family member of a U.S. president — came roughly nine months after he was indicted on charges brought for purchasing a firearm in 2018 while he was addicted to crack cocaine. Weiss' indictment accused Hunter Biden of lying on the federal form for gun purchases supplied by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms when a buyer is asked if they are an "unlawful user of, or addicted to" illicit drugs. Two of the three charges were for lying on federal paperwork, and the third charge was for the actual possession of the gun.
"[Hunter Biden] provided a written statement on Form 4473 certifying he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious," Weiss wrote in the charging documents.
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Biden's firearm remained unloaded and unused for 11 days before his girlfriend eventually threw the weapon in the trash over concerns for his mental health. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, downplayed the charges and said his client was only being prosecuted due to him being the son of a sitting Democratic president.
"Hunter Biden possessing an unloaded gun for 11 days was not a threat to public safety, but a prosecutor, with all the power imaginable, bending to political pressure presents a grave threat to our system of justice," Lowell said.
The 12-person jury that convicted Hunter Biden was made up of six men and six women. The jury was also majority-Black, with prosecutors and defense attorneys approving of the seven Black jurors and five white jurors. One juror was dismissed earlier in the trial and was replaced with an alternate. The jury included recovering substance abusers, Second Amendment advocates and a former member of the U.S. Secret Service, as well as people who have had family members arrested and prosecuted for drug-related offenses.
After his guilty verdict on all three counts, Hunter Biden could face a maximum sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison. President Biden has promised he would respect the verdict and not pardon his son if he was convicted.
READ MORE: Joe Biden vows not to pardon son if convicted in gun case: report
