US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, convicted of all three felonies in federal gun trial 3:19am Jun 12, 2024
Hunter Biden has been convicted of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, the United States president's son lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.
Jurors on Tuesday (early Wednesday AEST) found Hunter Biden guilty of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days.
He faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Maryellen Noreika, though first-time offenders do not get anywhere near the maximum, and it's unclear whether she would give him time behind bars. The judge did not set a sentencing date.
After the jury's decision was announced, President Joe Biden said he would accept the outcome of the case and "will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal". The president said he and the first lady are proud of Hunter, who has been sober since 2019.
In a written statement following the verdict, Hunter Biden said he was disappointed by the outcome but grateful for the support of family and friends. His attorney said they will "continue to vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available".
Now, Hunter Biden and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, the chief political rival of President Joe Biden, have been convicted by American jurors in an election year that has been as much about the courtroom as it has been about campaign events and rallies.
Joe Biden has steered clear of the federal courtroom in Delaware where his son was tried and said little about the case, wary of creating an impression of interfering in a criminal matter brought by his own Justice Department. But allies of the Democrat have worried about the toll that the trial — and now the conviction — will take on the 81-year-old, who has long been concerned with his only living son's health and sustained sobriety.
Hunter Biden and Trump have both argued they were victimised by the politics of the moment. But while Trump has continued to falsely claim the verdict was "rigged", Joe Biden has said he would accept the results of the verdict and would not seek to pardon his son.
Hunter Biden's legal troubles aren't over. He faces a trial in September in California on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes and congressional Republicans have signalled they will keep going after him in their stalled impeachment effort into the president. The president has not been accused or charged with any wrongdoing by prosecutors investigating his son.
Hunter Biden had hoped last year to resolve a long-running investigation federal investigation under a deal with prosecutors that would avoided the spectacle of a trial so close to the 2024 election. Under the deal, he would have pleaded guilty to misdemeanour tax offences and avoid prosecution in the gun case if he stayed out of trouble for two years.
But the deal fell apart after Noreika, who was nominated by Trump, questioned unusual aspects of the proposed agreement, and the lawyers could not resolve the matter.
Attorney General Merrick Garland then appointed top investigator David Weiss, Delaware's US attorney, as a special counsel last August, and a month later Hunter Biden was indicted.
Hunter Biden has said he was charged because the Justice Department bowed to pressure from Republicans who argued the Democratic president's son was getting special treatment.
The reason that law enforcement raised any questions about the revolver is because Hallie Biden, Beau's widow, found it unloaded in Hunter's truck on October 23, 2018, panicked and tossed it into a garbage can at Janssen's Market, where a man inadvertently fished it out of the trash. She testified about the episode in court.
Hallie Biden, who had a romantic relationship with Hunter after Beau died, eventually called the police. Officers retrieved the gun from the man who inadvertently took the gun along with other recyclables from the trash. The case was eventually closed because of lack of cooperation from Hunter Biden, who was considered the victim.
