Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felonies today in his gun crimes trial in Delaware.
The jury in Wilmington, Delaware, voted unanimously to convict Joe Biden’s son on two counts of lying on a federal form to purchase a gun and one count of possessing the firearm while abusing drugs.
This historic conviction marks the first time the son of a current president has been found guilty of a serious crime.
Hunter nodded slowly in resignation as the guilty verdict was read.
After the jury left, he hugged his attorneys, kissed his wife Melissa, who gave him a tight smile, and walked out of the courtroom, a convicted felon.
Now he will wait for Judge Maryellen Noreika to decide the sentence for the crimes, which could reach 25 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, although the typical sentence is much lower.
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, arrives at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 11, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware.
An image from Hunter Biden’s laptop shows the president’s son naked and holding a gun at his side
The judge said sentencing dates are typically discussed “20 days before” sentencing.
The smiling prosecutors said they had no comment.
Jurors reached their historic verdict after just three hours of deliberation: one yesterday and two today, before reaching their verdict at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Hunter’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, confirmed to the court that he would continue his challenges to the conviction.
These include a Second Amendment challenge, that the charges violate Hunter’s constitutional right to bear arms.
Some convicted of their crimes do not receive a prison sentence. In a recent sentencing for similar crimes, Judge Noreika sentenced another defendant to one year in federal prison.
The court’s probation office will now compile a pre-sentence investigation report, which will include information the judge will use to weigh his sentence.
Judge Noreika is not required to follow sentencing guidelines, but cannot impose more than the maximum legal sentence.
Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has already filed motions objecting to the case on several grounds and has previously indicated he will appeal any conviction.
He maintains that there is a Second Amendment challenge to the conviction, and that Congress effectively repealed one of the statutes under which Hunter was charged when they updated him in 2022, overturning his conviction.
Even convicts who are ultimately jailed can remain out of prison for several months or longer while awaiting sentencing, or with their case caught up in appeals.
The Colt Cobra revolver that Hunter Biden purchased on October 12, 2018
Hunter Biden’s hard drive, which was abandoned in a repair shop and leaked to conservative media, also included images of the president’s son smoking 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 has yet to enter a prison cell due to legal disputes.
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 its deliberations on Monday shortly after 3:30 p.m.
They finished the day at 4:30 p.m. and resumed weighing the box at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
Criminal First Son’s legal problems are far from over.
In September he faces a trial for tax crimes before the same prosecutors, Leo Wise and Derek Hines, who work for special prosecutor David Weiss.
First Lady Jill Biden Attended Trial to Support Stepson
Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden, his brother’s widow, with whom Hunter had a romantic relationship
He is charged with nine counts, including three felonies and six misdemeanors, of tax evasion, failure to file and pay taxes, and filing a fraudulent tax return.
The charges span fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and are considered more serious than his firearms offenses.
His financial backer, Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris, has said he is running out of money to fund Hunter’s main legal team for the case.
And his defense will be even more complicated if he fights it from inside a federal prison.
Legal experts have pointed to a recent sentencing decision by Judge Noreika as a potential barometer of Hunter’s sentence.
Hunter and Melissa Biden arrive hand in hand for closing arguments in the firearms case that charges the president’s son with three felonies for lying on a federal form about his drug addiction.
On May 2, he sentenced Zhi Dong of Maryland to a 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 involving three or more weapons.
And Dong’s case arguably involved harsher conduct as well.
In his sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said he drove guns he purchased in Delaware to a California gun store, which they said was “indicative of firearms trafficking,” although they noted he was not “the mastermind of the operation”.
The government recommended six months, but Judge Noreika gave double that, Politico first reported earlier this month.