Hunter Biden was dramatically found guilty of three criminal charges today in a blockbuster gun and drug trial.
A jury in Wilmington, Delaware unanimously convicted Joe Biden’s son of two counts of lying on federal government forms to buy a gun, and one count of possessing a firearm while abusing drugs.
The jury deliberated in less than three hours after a week-long trial.
The swift and historic conviction is the first time a child of a sitting US President has been found guilty of a federal crime.
Hunter nodded slowly and looked resigned as the guilty verdict was read.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, accompanied by his mother, first lady Jill Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, leave a federal court after hearing the verdict, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Wilmington, Del.
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, joined by his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, arrive at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 11, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware
That belief will test a public promise by Joe Biden that he will not forgive his son.
President Biden released a statement saying he accepts the outcome of the case and will respect the court process as his son considers an appeal.
He said: ‘I am the President, but I am also a father. So many families who have battled with loved ones know the pride of seeing your loved one come out the other side strong and resilient.
‘I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers his appeal.’
Ironically, the ruling came hours before President Biden was set to deliver a speech on gun control at the Gun Sense University Conference in Atlanta.
After the jury left the courtroom Hunter, dressed in a dark suit and tie, hugged his lawyer, kissed his wife Melissa who gave him a tight smile, and left the room as a criminal.
Jill Biden appeared in court but was too late to sit in the chamber as the jury delivered its verdict.
The First Lady accompanies Hunter and Melissa as they leave, accompanied by the Secret Service.
Hunter will now wait for Judge Maryellen Noreika to decide the punishment for the crime, which could carry up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine ā although the typical sentence is much lower.
Pictures from Hunter Biden’s laptop show the president’s son naked and holding a pistol at his side
Hunter’s conviction requires a jury verdict. Each juror signed the form to indicate that they agreed.
The judge said sentencing dates are usually discussed ’20 days out’ from sentencing.
A smiling prosecutor said he had no comment.
The jury deliberated for an hour yesterday and two hours today before reaching a verdict at 11am on Tuesday.
Hunter’s lawyer Abbe Lowell confirmed in court that he would pursue the challenge.
This included a Second Amendment challenge, that the charges violated Hunter’s constitutional right to bear arms.
Some convicts of their crimes did not get jail time. In a new sentence for the same crime, Judge Noreika gave the other defendant a year in federal prison.
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. first lady Jill Biden leave federal court after a jury found him guilty on all three counts in a trial on felony gun charges, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., June 11, 2024
The court’s probation office will now compile a presentence investigation report, which will include information that the judge will use to consider his sentence.
Judge Noreika is not required to follow sentencing guidelines, but cannot impose more than the legal maximum sentence.
Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has filed a motion disputing the case on multiple grounds, and has previously indicated she plans to appeal.
He said there were Second Amendment challenges to those convictions, and that Congress effectively repealed one of the statutes that Hunter argued when he renewed them in 2022, invalidating those convictions.
Even inmates who end up in prison, can stay out of prison for months or more while awaiting sentencing, or with cases tied up in appeals.
Colt Cobra Hunter Biden revolver purchased on October 12, 2018
Hunter Biden’s hard drive, which was left in a workshop and leaked to conservative media, also includes images of the president’s son smoking from a crack pipe.
Hunter’s former business partner, Devon Archer, was convicted of defrauding a Native American tribe of $60 million in 2018, and has yet to go to jail for wrangling the law.
If Hunter is in prison during the November 2024 presidential election, he will not be able to vote for his father.
In California, where Hunter lives, currently incarcerated felons can’t vote.
The jury began deliberations on Monday at 3:30 p.m.
He was discharged at 4.30pm and weighed again at 9am on Tuesday.
The First Son’s criminal legal problems are far from over.
In September, he faced a tax felony trial from the same prosecutors, Leo Wise and Derek Hines, who worked for Special Counsel David Weiss.
First Lady Jill Biden attended the hearing to support her stepson
Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden, his brother’s widow, with whom Hunter had a romantic relationship
He was charged with nine counts, including three felonies and six misdemeanors, tax violations, failure to file and pay taxes, and filing false tax returns.
The charges cover tax years 2016 through 2019, and are considered more serious than gun crimes.
His financial backer, Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris, said he was running out of money to fund Hunter’s top legal team for the case.
And his defense would be more complicated if he were fighting from inside a federal prison.
Legal experts have pointed to the recent sentencing decision by Judge Noreika as a potential barometer for Hunter’s sentence.
Hunter and Melissa Biden came together to close arguments in a firearms case charging the president’s son with three felonies for falsifying federal drug addiction forms.
On May 2, he sentenced Maryland man Zhi Dong to a year in prison for falsifying his address on the same federal gun purchase form.
Dong pleaded guilty, which often leads to a lesser sentence.
However, sentencing guidelines recommend higher sentences for crimes involving three or more guns.
And Dong’s case is also arguably more severe.
In the sentencing memo, prosecutors said he drove a gun he bought in Delaware to a California gun store, which they said was ‘indicative of firearms trafficking’ – although they noted he was not the ‘brains of the operation’.
The government recommended six months, but Judge Noreika gave him twice that, Politico first reported earlier this month.
