Hunter Biden Guilty in Gun Purchase Case

Photo by Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Hunter Biden was found guilty on all three felony counts he faced stemming from lying on a federal firearms application and gun purchase.

NY Times:

A jury in Wilmington, Del., on Tuesday found Hunter Biden guilty of three felony counts of lying on a federal firearms application in 2018, a grievous blow to the Biden family as his father enters the final months of his re-election campaign.

Mr. Biden, 54, stood with arms crossed, grimly surveying the jury as the verdict was read. He could face up to 25 years in prison, but first-time offenders who did not use their weapons to commit a violent crime typically receive no jail time.

The verdict brought an end to an extraordinary trial that made painfully public Mr. Biden’s crack addiction, reckless behavior and ruinous spending — narrated by three former romantic partners, including the widow of his brother, Beau Biden.

Here’s what else to know:

The president’s reaction: In a statement, President Biden said he and the first lady, Jill Biden, were proud to see Mr. Biden be “so strong and resilient in recovery” from his addiction. “Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support,” he added. “Nothing will ever change that.”

A sentencing date was not set: The judge in the case, Maryellen Noreika, did not set a date for sentencing, but said it would typically be about 120 days after the verdict — that’s early October, or about a month before the election. Although the maximum possible sentence Mr. Biden faces is more than two decades behind bars and $750,000 in fines, federal sentencing guidelines call for a fraction of that penalty.

No pardons are coming: President Biden has said he will not pardon his son, adding on Tuesday that he “will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.” The president kept his distance from the trial and was out of office on Oct. 12, 2018, when Hunter Biden asserted he was drug-free on a background check at a time when he was addicted to crack cocaine.

More legal troubles loom: The Delaware case, brought by the special counsel David C. Weiss, is widely regarded as the less serious of the two federal indictments against Hunter Biden brought last year. He still faces serious tax charges in Los Angeles stemming from his failure to pay the government during a yearslong crack, alcohol and spending binge; the trial is scheduled to start in September.