Hunter Biden was dramatically found guilty of three criminal charges today in his blockbuster gun and drugs trial.
A jury in Wilmington, Delaware unanimously convicted Joe Biden’s son of two counts of lying on a federal government form to buy a gun, and one count of possessing the firearm while abusing drugs.
Jurors deliberated for less than three hours after a trial that had lasted over a week.
The swift and historic conviction marks the first time a sitting U.S. President’s child has been found guilty of a federal crime.
Hunter nodded slowly with resignation as the guilty verdicts were read out.
Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady Jill Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, walks out of federal court after hearing the verdict, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Wilmington, Del
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, joined by his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, arrive to the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 11, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware
The conviction will put to the test a public promise by Joe Biden that he will not pardon his son.
He issued a statement saying he accepted the outcome of the case and would respect the judicial process as his son considers an appeal.
Ironically, the verdict came hours before President Biden was set to give 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 attorneys, kissed his wife Melissa who gave him a tight smile, and left the room a convicted felon.
Jill Biden showed up at the courthouse but was too late to sit in the room as the jury gave their verdict.
The First Lady accompanied Hunter and Melissa as they left, accompanied by Secret Service.
Hunter will now await Judge Maryellen Noreika to decide on a sentence for the crimes, which could be as high as 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine – although the typical sentence is much lower.
An image from Hunter Biden’s laptop shows the president’s son naked and holding a handgun by his side
Hunter’s conviction required a unanimous verdict from the jury. Each of the jurors signed the form to show they were in agreement.
The judge said that sentencing dates are usually discussed ‘20 days out’ from a conviction.
The smiling prosecutors said they had no comment.
Jurors deliberated for one hour yesterday and two hours today before reaching their verdict at 11am Tuesday.
Hunter’s attorney Abbe Lowell confirmed in court that he would be pursuing his challenges to the conviction.
These include a Second Amendment challenge, that the charges violate Hunter’s constitutional right to bear arms.
Some convicts of his offenses do not get any jail time. In a recent sentence for similar crimes, Judge Noreika gave another defendant one year in federal prison.
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. first lady Jill Biden leave the federal court after the jury finds him guilty on all three counts in his trial on criminal 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 the judge will use to weigh up his sentence.
Judge Noreika is not required to follow sentencing guidelines, but cannot give more than legal maximum sentence.
Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has already filed motions objecting to the case on various grounds, and previously indicated that he will be appealing any conviction.
He argues there is a Second Amendment challenge to the conviction, and that Congress effectively repealed one of the statutes that Hunter was charged under when they updated it in 2022, nullifying his conviction.
Even convicts who are ultimately incarcerated, can remain out of prison for several months or more while they await sentencing, or with their case tied up in appeals.
The Colt Cobra revolver Hunter Biden purchased on October 12, 2018
Hunter Biden’s hard drive, which was abandoned at a repair shop and leaked to conservative media, also included images of the president’s son smoking from a crack pipe
Hunter’s former business partner Devon Archer was convicted of a $60 million fraud on a Native American tribe in 2018, and is yet to step inside a prison cell due to legal wrangling.
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, felons who are currently incarcerated cannot vote.
The jury began their deliberations on Monday shortly after 3.30pm.
They broke for the day at 4.30pm and resumed weighing the case at 9am on Tuesday.
The felon First Son’s legal troubles are far from over.
In September he faces a tax crimes trial from the same prosecutors, Leo Wise and Derek Hines, who are working for Special Counsel David Weiss.
First Lady Jill Biden attended the trial to support her step son
Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden, his brother’s widow, with whom Hunter had a romantic relationship
He is accused of nine charges, including three felony counts and six misdemeanors, of tax evasion, failure to file and pay his taxes, and filing a fraudulent tax return.
The charges span the tax years 2016 to 2019, and are considered more severe than his gun crimes.
His financial backer, Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris, has said he is running out of money to fund Hunter’s top legal team for the case.
And his defense will be further complicated if he is fighting it from inside a federal prison.
Legal pundits have pointed to a recent sentencing decision by Judge Noreika as a potential barometer for Hunter’s sentence.
Hunter and Melissa Biden arrive hand-in-hand for closing arguments in the firearms case charging the president’s son with three felonies for lying on a federal form about his drug addiction
On May 2 she sentenced Maryland man Zhi Dong to one year in prison for lying about his address on the same federal gun purchase forms.
Dong pleaded guilty, which often leads to a lesser sentence.
However, sentencing guidelines recommend higher sentences for crimes that involve three or more guns.
And Dong’s case also arguably involved more severe conduct.
In their sentencing memo prosecutors said he drove the guns he bought in Delaware to a California gun store, which they said was ‘indicative of trafficking firearms’ – though they noted he wasn’t ‘the brains of the operation’.
The government recommended six months, but Judge Noreika gave him double that, Politico first reported earlier this month.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk