Hunter Biden found guilty of illegally owning gun, lying about drug use

Washington: President Joe Biden’s troubled son Hunter has been convicted for gun crimes and now faces the prospect of a jail sentence while his father campaigns for one of the most consequential elections in US history.

In another court case that could shake the 2024 rematch between the incumbent president and Donald Trump, Hunter Biden has been found guilty of illegally owning a gun and lying about his drug use on a form he filled out to purchase the firearm in 2018.

The verdict, delivered by a jury after three hours of deliberations, marks the first time the child of a US president has been convicted of a felony – and one that comes with a maximum sentence of 25 years’ prison, although a lesser sentence is far more likely.

He also faces a separate trial in September – two months before the November election – on more serious charges relating to his alleged failure to pay $US1.4 million in taxes at a time when he was addicted to cocaine and spending money on drugs, sex workers and luxury items.

However, in the wake of Trump’s trial, the president over the weekend ruled out pardoning his son and committed that he would accept the court’s verdict.

The case capped off the first-ever trial involving the child of a sitting president, and centred on a Cobra Colt .38 handgun that Hunter purchased in October 2018.

Prosecutors say this violated federal law because he was addicted to crack cocaine at the time, alleging that he lied when he answered ‘No’ on a federal background check form certifying that he was not using drugs.

The defence argued there was no direct evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he was using the drug when he got the firearm.

While the president was overseas for much of the trial and has deliberately remained at arms length from it, First Lady Jill Biden has led the charge, appearing in court with other members of Delaware’s most famous family, including the president’s brother James, his sister valerie, Hunter’s daughter Naomi, and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden.