A federal jury has convicted Hunter Biden, son of U.S President, Joe Biden, on all three federal felony gun charges he faced relating to buying a handgun while being a user of crack cocaine.
The conviction marks the first time a president’s immediate family member has been found guilty of a crime during their father’s term in office, though his crimes predate Joe Biden’s tenure as President.
Hunter Biden received the verdict in court as his friends and family, including the first lady, Jill Biden, stood in support.
The jury reached its verdict after about three hours of deliberation over two days.
It followed a weeklong trial in the Biden family’s home town of Wilmington, Delaware, that featured sometimes excruciating testimony about his addiction habit, from some of his closest relatives.
Hunter Biden chose not to take the witness stand in his own defence.
Hunter Biden was accused of making two false statements when filling out a form to buy a Colt revolver in October 2018: first by stating untruthfully that he was not addicted to or using drugs, and then by declaring the statement to be true.
A third charge alleged that he then illegally owned the gun possession for 11 days, before his sister-in-law and then lover, Hallie Biden, threw it in a trash bin in panic.
Abbe Lowell, Hunter’s principal lawyer, argued that the prosecution had provided no evidence that he had taken crack cocaine – to which he later admitted in a memoir to having been addicted before going into rehabilitation – in the month that he bought and owned the gun.
The defence lawyer also established that no one had seen Hunter use the drug in that period.
Joe Biden said after the verdict, “I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”
“Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that,” he continued.
In the brief statement, the U.S President underscored his pride in his son for overcoming his battle with addiction.
“As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.”
Joe Biden
No sentencing date is set yet.
Before dismissing the parties, the judge told them sentencing is usually set for 120 days following a verdict, which would mean sentencing is in mid-October before Election Day.
Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $750,000 at sentencing, though he likely will receive far less than the maximum as a first-time offender.
Hunter Biden Grateful for Family’s Support
Hunter Biden publicly responded to the guilty verdict against him, saying that he is “more grateful for the love and support” of his family than he is “disappointed by the outcome.”
“Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time,” he said in a statement.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, also said in a statement that they were “naturally disappointed” by the verdict but would continue to “vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available to Hunter.”
“Through all he has been through in his recovery, including this trial, Hunter has felt grateful for and blessed by the love and support of his family,” Lowell said.
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