Hunter Biden, son of United States President Joe Biden, was convicted by a jury for lying about his drug use to illegally buy a gun. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday by a 12-member jury in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, found Hunter Biden guilty on all three counts against him, marking the first time a child of a sitting US president has been convicted of a crime.
Hunter Biden, 54, showed minimal reaction to the verdict, nodding slightly and then patting his lawyer Abbe Lowell on the back before hugging another member of his legal team. First lady Jill Biden arrived at the courthouse shortly after the verdict was announced and left hand-in-hand with Hunter Biden and his wife without speaking to reporters. The family departed in waiting SUVs. The jury deliberated for about three hours over two days before reaching their decision.
The judge has not set a sentencing date, but indicated it would likely be within 120 days, placing it close to the November 5 presidential election, in which President Joe Biden is seeking re-election. Sentencing guidelines for the gun charges suggest a prison term of 15 to 21 months, though legal experts note that similar cases often result in shorter sentences or non-custodial terms if the defendant complies with pretrial release conditions.
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This case follows the May 30 criminal conviction of Donald Trump, the first former US president to be found guilty of a felony. Trump, the Republican challenger to Joe Biden in the upcoming election, was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a sex scandal. Trump has accused Democrats of pursuing his cases and three other criminal prosecutions to prevent his return to power.
Democrats in Congress have highlighted the Hunter Biden prosecution as evidence that President Biden is not manipulating the justice system for political gain. President Biden has publicly stated that he would not pardon his son if convicted, maintaining a distance from the Delaware federal courtroom and commenting minimally on the case to avoid any perception of interference.
The prosecution was led by Justice Department Special Counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee, who has also charged Hunter Biden with three felony and six misdemeanor tax offenses in California. These charges allege that Hunter Biden failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to these charges, with a trial scheduled for September 5 in Los Angeles.
During the Delaware trial, the prosecution presented testimony from Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, former girlfriend, and sister-in-law, who provided detailed accounts of his severe addiction in the weeks before and after he purchased the gun in October 2018. Prosecutors also submitted text messages, photos, and bank records as evidence of Biden’s addiction and his deliberate falsehood on a government screening form when he denied being a drug user.
The defense argued that Hunter Biden was not using drugs at the time of the gun purchase and did not intend to deceive the authorities, as he did not view himself as a drug user when completing the form. Hunter Biden’s daughter, Naomi Biden, testified that her father appeared to be in good condition around the time he bought the gun.
As the nation watches, the legal troubles of Hunter Biden and their potential impact on the upcoming presidential election remain a focal point of political discourse.
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