US court finds Hunter Biden guilty of lying about drug use to buy gun

Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, was convicted by a jury Tuesday of lying about his drug use to illegally buy a gun, a verdict Democrats could rely on to counter the claim. Donald Trump that the justice system is a weapon against him.

A 12-member jury in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, found him guilty of all three counts against him, making Hunter Biden the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.

Hunter Biden, 54, nodded slightly after the verdict was read, but otherwise showed little reaction. He then patted his lawyer, Father Lowell, on the back and hugged another member of his legal team.

The judge did not set a date for sentencing, but added that the time limit is typically 120 days. That would put him no more than a month before the November 5 U.S. presidential election.

Sentencing guidelines for gun-related charges are 15 to 21 months, but legal experts say defendants in similar cases often receive shorter sentences and are less likely to be incarcerated if they are not. they respect the conditions of their provisional release.

The trial follows the May 30 criminal conviction of Trump, the first former US president to be convicted of a crime and the Republican challenger to Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November 5 election.

Trump, convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal, accuses Democrats of pursuing that case and three other criminal charges to prevent him from regaining power in his rematch with Joe Biden.

Congressional Democrats have cited cases, including that of Hunter Biden, as proof that Joe Biden is not using the justice system for political or personal gain, after saying last week that he would not pardon his son if he he was found guilty.

The Hunter Biden case was brought by US Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee.

Weiss also charged Hunter Biden with three tax crimes and six tax crimes in California, alleging he failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019 while spending millions on drugs, escorts, exotic cars and other expensive items.

Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to these charges. A trial is scheduled for September 5 in Los Angeles.

The Delaware trial included testimony against Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, former girlfriend and sister-in-law, who gave first-hand accounts of his growing addiction in the weeks before and after the purchase of the weapon in October 2018.

Prosecutors also showed text messages, photos and bank records that they said showed Biden was in the throes of a deep addiction when he bought the gun and that he knowingly broke the law by responding ” no” to the question of being a drug user on a government screening form.