After just a few hours of deliberation, a Delaware jury found Hunter Biden guilty of all three gun offenses on Tuesday.
Hunter’s high-stakes decision to proceed with a trial rather than agree to a revised plea agreement that was offered in the summer of 2023 is reflected in the historic verdict rendered by the president’s son.
According to court documents, Hunter may receive up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.
Within the federal system, the time between conviction and sentencing is normally two to three months. According to NBC News, “one legal expert said they likely would specify approximately a year in prison.” If found guilty on all counts, the sentencing guidelines remain unknown.
Maryellen Noreika, the judge overseeing Hunter’s gun trial, recently sentenced a defendant in a related gun case to one year in prison. Noreika sentenced him to a year, although the defense had requested a six-month term.
The government filed charges against Hunter for one count each of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, possessing a firearm while abusing drugs, and making a false statement regarding records that a federally licensed firearms dealer must maintain.
Numerous old pictures on his abandoned laptop indicate that Hunter took a crack when he bought the pistol in 2018. Someone discovered the rifle in a public garbage can near a school. It is alleged that the Secret Service was involved in the investigation into that particular occurrence.
While the defense only called one witness, Naomi Biden Neal, the prosecution called ten witnesses. According to court reporters, her testimony seemed to backfire when she gave the impression that Hunter was “erratic” to the jurors.
Legal experts said last week that Hunter’s legal team was probably looking for a jury nullification. When a defendant is found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt but the jurors choose to find the defendant not guilty despite their oath being broken, this is known as jury nullification.
In general, the defense attempted to portray Hunter as a victim of drug misuse. Prosecutors, according to defense lawyer Abbe Lowell, must demonstrate that Hunter “knowingly” committed gun-related felonies.
The government’s line of reasoning revolved around the notions that “it doesn’t matter who you are or what your name is” and “no one is above the law.” Prosecutors asserted that Hunter had “chosen to illegally own a firearm” and that “we’re also here because he chose to lie.”
Prosecutor Leo Wise made gestures throughout the courtroom while the Biden family watched Monday’s closing arguments, stating, “All of this is not proof.” “Those occupying the galleries are not proof.”
Hunter turned down a plea deal from the prosecution in 2023 after the court scrutinized a “diversion agreement,” causing the negotiations to collapse.
Hunter had the choice to enter into a plea agreement known as the “sweetheart” arrangement, which would have spared him jail time in exchange for probation if he had admitted to not paying taxes on over $1.5 million in revenue in 2017 and 2018. Furthermore, Special Counsel David Weiss drafted a separate diversion deal that protected Hunter from further prosecution and included a clause that would have cleared his record of a felony gun offense.
Later, Weiss filed a California tax evasion indictment against Hunter. The trial is scheduled for September.
The case in question is United States v. Hunter Biden, Third Circuit United States Court of Appeals No. 24-1703.
Next step is most likely the Appellate Court. Just like with Trump, except in Trump’s case it may go all the way to the SCOTUS.
Yell right I will hold my breath waiting to see if he gets any time at all. He will get the lowest sentence possible. Daddy has the justice system in his back pocket we all know this so little boy Hunter want get much if any time. So in-fare to us American citizens.