Key Points
- Joe Biden’s son has been found guilty on charges related to lying about his drug use when illegally buying a gun.
- Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, but the term is up to the judge and Biden is a first-time offender.
- Joe Biden issued a statement saying he accepted the outcome and would respect the judicial process.
US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced after being convicted of three felony charges related to lying about his drug use when illegally buying a gun.
The sentence is up to Judge Maryellen Noreika and Hunter Biden is a first-time offender. The judge set no date for sentencing but added the timeline is usually in 120 days — which would place it no later than a month before the 5 November US presidential election.
The jury in a Wilmington, Delaware, federal court found him guilty on all three counts against him, making Hunter Biden the first child of a sitting US president to be convicted of a crime.
A verdict of the 12-member jury must be unanimous on each count.
Hunter Biden, 54, lightly nodded his head after the verdict was read but otherwise showed little reaction.
He then patted his lawyer Abbe Lowell on the back and hugged another member of his legal team.
Lowell said in a statement they would “vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available to Hunter”.
His father, Joe Biden, issued a statement saying he accepted the outcome of the case and would respect the judicial process as his son considers an appeal.
“I am the President, but I am also a dad. [First Lady Jill Biden] 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.”
Jurors found him 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.
In a statement, Hunter Biden said he was grateful for the support he had received, and was “blessed” to experience the gift of recovery “one day at a time”. Source: AP / Matt Rourke
In a statement, Hunter Biden said he was more grateful for the love and support he had received than he was disappointed by the guilty verdict.
He said he was “blessed” to experience the gift of recovery “one day at a time”.
The Hunter Biden case was brought by US Department of Justice Special Counsel David Weiss, an appointee of former US president Donald Trump.
Weiss has also charged Hunter Biden with three felony and six misdemeanour tax offences in California, alleging he failed to pay $US1.4 million ($2.1 million) in taxes between 2016 and 2019 while spending millions on drugs, escorts, exotic cars and other high-ticket items.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to those charges. A trial is scheduled for 5 September in Los Angeles.
US special counsel David Weiss brought the case against Hunter Biden. Source: EPA / Jim Lo Scalzo
During the trial, Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, former girlfriend and sister-in-law were all called to testify, revealing the struggle he had with cocaine addiction during the period when he bought the firearm.
Prosecutors also showed text messages, photos and bank records that they said showed Biden was deep in the throes of addiction when he bought the gun and knowingly broke the law by answering “no” to being a drug user on a government screening form.
Biden’s lawyers sought to show he was not using drugs when he bought the gun and did not intend to deceive because he did not consider himself a drug user when he filled out the form.
