As the landmark Hunter Biden gun case begins in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, all eyes will be on the Trump-appointed judge handling the case: Judge Maryellen Noreika.
Politico reported on Sunday that just last month, Noreika doubled the recommended sentence for a defendant who pleaded guilty to a similar firearms offense.
On May 2, Noreika determined that defendant Zhi Dong should go to prison for one year, not the six months suggested by prosecutors.
Dong was accused of lying on government forms about his address when he bought guns in Delaware.
He purchased 19 pistols and 10 lower receivers in Delaware using a Newark, Delaware address and a Delaware driver’s license in several federal firearms licensees in the state.
Trump-appointed Judge Maryellen Noreika (left) is overseeing Hunter Biden’s (right) firearms case in Delaware. She recently doubled the sentence of another defendant who lied on firearms forms by saying he was a Delaware resident when he actually lived in Maryland.
One of the gun store owners contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “due to concerns about the quantity and price of the firearms, as well as the defendant’s apparent eagerness to recover firearms,” the court documents read.
Shortly after purchasing the firearms, Dong traveled to California in a rental car with another person and dropped the guns off at a California gun store and then flew back to the East Coast.
Once questioned by authorities, Dong admitted that he was not a Delaware resident. He also admitted that he transported firearms to California.
Law enforcement was able to recover 28 of the 29 weapons.
Dong was charged with two counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm and pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors argued that six months in jail was enough because, while Dong’s conduct was “serious and indicative of firearms trafficking,” he also had no criminal record.
“His only encounter with police appears to be traffic related and was dismissed,” court documents said.
Security is outside the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware, where the Hunter Biden gun case began Monday. The first child will appear before a judge appointed by Trump but approved by Delaware’s two Democratic senators
They also noted that Dong was legally allowed to possess guns and noted that he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors also noted that the individual who accompanied Dong to California “was the mastermind of this operation.”
‘Due to the nature and circumstances of this crime, as well as the defendant’s personal history and characteristics, the government maintains that a six-month sentence, which represents a downward variance from the sentencing guideline range , is sufficient but not greater than necessary to achieve the objectives of the sentence,” prosecutors said.
Noreika did not agree and decided to sentence him to one year in prison.
Peter Tilem, a Manhattan defense attorney who has handled multiple gun cases, suggested to Politico that Hunter’s defense attorneys should be wary of Noreika, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump but won the endorsement of both of Trump’s Democratic senators. Delaware.
“When you see a judge who is basically willing to double the prosecution’s sentencing recommendation, that’s a little concerning, obviously for any defense attorney,” Tilem told the website.
Hunter could have a better outcome because he is only charged with purchasing one gun, while federal sentencing guidelines recommend harsher punishment for crimes involving three or more firearms.
Furthermore, his gun was never used in any crime.
Hallie Biden, Beau Biden’s widow whom Hunter was dating at the time, threw the gun into a trash can outside a grocery store in Wilmington in 2018.
