Hunter Biden has been convicted on all three felony charges for buying and possessing a firearm while addicted to crack cocaine. This is notable as it is the first time a sitting president’s child has been found guilty of a crime.
Hunter Biden showed little emotion when the Delaware jury delivered the verdict, but he hugged his wife and reached out to his attorneys afterward. First Lady Jill Biden arrived at the courthouse post-verdict, highlighting the Biden family’s support during the trial.
During the trial, the prosecution presented difficult testimonies from women in Hunter Biden’s life, including his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan, and Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother Beau Biden.
Hallie Biden, who was romantically involved with Hunter at the time, found the gun in his truck and testified that Hunter was using drugs when he purchased it in October 2018. Text messages shown in court supported this, revealing he was “sleeping in car smoking crack.”
Hunter Biden was convicted for firearm possession while addicted to crack cocaine.
In contrast, Naomi Biden, testifying for the defense, said her father seemed fine at the end of October 2018, and she didn’t notice any drug paraphernalia when she used his truck. However, she acknowledged his struggles with addiction, particularly after the death of his brother Beau. She clarified that Hunter Biden never used illegal drugs in front of her, indicating a complex picture of his drug use during that period.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles began with an indictment on three felony gun charges in September, following the collapse of a proposed plea deal with federal prosecutors. He was accused of illegally purchasing and possessing a gun while addicted to crack cocaine, a violation of federal law.
Prosecutors argued he lied about his drug use on a federal form when buying the firearm and ammunition, which he owned for only 11 days before Hallie Biden discarded it in a grocery store trash can, where it was later found by an elderly man.
The charges against Hunter Biden include two counts related to false statements on the purchase paperwork, where he allegedly lied about his drug use, and one count for possessing the firearm while being an unlawful user of drugs.
The form in question requires disclosure of current drug use, which the prosecution argued he misrepresented. The defense countered by stating that the form’s language about current use was ambiguous and suggested Hunter Biden was primarily abusing alcohol during that period.
In response, Hunter Biden’s defense team argued that prosecutors needed to prove he was using drugs on the exact day he purchased the gun. They emphasized the form’s wording, suggesting it did not account for past use, and also posited that Hunter was abusing alcohol rather than drugs at the time.
Despite these arguments, the jury found him guilty on all counts, which could result in a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000.
