Hunter Biden, son of the president of the United States, Joe Biden, was found guilty of three crimes by a popular jury in a Wilmington court on Tuesday. The judge has not yet imposed the sentence. The crimes are punishable by a maximum of 25 years in prison, but such a sentence is not common when the illegal purchase and possession of a weapon is not accompanied by other violent crimes and the convicted person has no criminal record. These are the keys to the case:
What did Hunter Biden do?
Hunter Biden stopped on October 12, 2018, at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply, a firearms store off Highway 202, north of Wilmington, Delaware. More than a store, it is an arsenal. His display cases are full of pistols, rifles and semi-automatic rifles. Joe Biden’s son decided to buy a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver. To do this, he filled out form 4473, a form of several pages of small print. Question 11.e) asked him to answer whether he was an illegal user or addict of any stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance. Hunter Biden put an X in the no box. A footnote asked him to certify that his answers were “true, correct and complete,” warned him that he was prohibited from purchasing a gun if he answered affirmatively to that question, and that making a false statement in this regard was a crime. Hunter Biden purchased the revolver. The gun ended up 11 days later in a trash can at a Greenville supermarket, about a 10-minute drive from the gun store. More than five years later, Hunter Biden has been found guilty of three crimes. Never until now had the son of a president of the United States been tried in a criminal case.
What crimes have you been found guilty of?
The president’s son was accused of three crimes: false statement when purchasing a firearm; false statement in documents to be kept on file by the gun seller and illegal possession of a firearm. The jury of six men and six women has unanimously found him guilty, as required by law. Prosecutors maintained that he was a drug user and addict when he purchased the gun.
In particular, Hunter Biden has been found guilty of violating the following provisions of Title 18 of the United States Code, the equivalent of the penal code: section 922(a)(6), which punishes “any person who, in connection with with the acquisition or attempted acquisition of any firearm or ammunition from a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer or licensed collector, knowingly makes any false or fictitious oral or written statement or provides or displays any false identification , fictitious or misrepresented, with the intent or likelihood of deceiving such importer, manufacturer, distributor or collector with respect to any fact relevant to the legality of the sale or other disposition of said firearm or ammunition.
The second offense is for violating section 924(a)(1)(A), which punishes anyone who “knowingly makes any false statement or representation with respect to information required by this chapter to be maintained in the records of a person.” licensed (…)” for the sale of weapons.
The third offense of which he is guilty is violating the provision (section 922(g)(3)) that makes it illegal to possess a firearm or ammunition for anyone who is “an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance.”
What penalties can you receive?
At the time of the indictment, the court made clear in a document the maximum penalties that Hunter Biden faces. Up to 10 years for the first offense, 5 for the second and another 10 for the third, along with fines of up to $250,000 for each of them and up to three years of supervised release. In total, then, the maximum would be 25 years in prison, but these are maximum penalties. For someone with no criminal record, rehabilitated and when the illegal purchase and possession of the weapon is not accompanied by any other violent crime, prison sentences are not common. The special prosecutor in charge of the case, David Weiss, said after the jury’s ruling that “no one is above the law,” but also that “Hunter Biden should not be more responsible than any other citizen convicted of this same conduct.”
When will the sentence be known?
The judge has not set a date to hand down her sentence. He has limited himself to pointing out that the conviction usually arrives within a period of four months following the jury’s decision. It could be known close to the presidential elections, scheduled for November 5.
Is the sentence appealable?
Yes, Hunter Biden has different instances to appeal to once the sentence is known. Hypothetically, the case could even reach the Supreme Court, given that the right to have firearms is included in the Constitution. The judges have yet to rule on whether banning weapons for those convicted of domestic violence is constitutional.
What evidence have prosecutors provided?
The prosecution has used excerpts from Hunter Biden’s own memoirs, Beautiful things, in which he admitted that he was addicted to drugs for four years until March 2019. Prosecutors have also accessed text messages from the defendant from that time. “He was sleeping in a car smoking crack“, he said in one of them. The Prosecutor’s Office called as witnesses Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and the widow of her brother Beau Biden, Hallie Biden, with whom he later had a relationship, who testified about her addiction.
How has Hunter Biden reacted?
After being found guilty, Hunter Biden left the Wilmington (Delaware) court where the trial was held accompanied by his adoptive mother, the first lady, Jill Biden, and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, without making any statements, but He later issued a statement: “Today I am more grateful for the love and support I experienced this past week from Melissa, my family, my friends and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome. Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift day by day,” he said.
How has the president reacted?
Joe Biden has modified his schedule to accompany his son this Tuesday afternoon to Wilmington after an event that was precisely directed against the indiscriminate use of firearms. After learning of the ruling, Biden issued a statement: “As I said last week, I am the president, but I am also a father. “Jill and I love our son, and we are very proud of the man he is today,” he states. “So many families who have had loved ones struggle with addiction understand the proud feeling of seeing a loved one come out on the other side and be so strong and resilient in their recovery. “As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and continue to respect the judicial process while Hunter considers an appeal,” adds the president, who concludes: “Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with love.” and support. “Nothing will ever change that.”
Can the president pardon his son?
Yes. The crimes of which his son is accused are federal and the president has a broad capacity to pardon them if he were sentenced to go to jail, but Biden has ruled out doing so.
What did the prosecutor say?
“The prosecution has emphasized two main themes during the trial: the illegal decisions of the accused and the rule of law. First, while there has been much testimony about the defendant’s drug and alcohol abuse, ultimately this case was not just about addiction, a disease that torments families across America, including Hunter’s family. Biden. This case dealt with the defendant’s illegal decisions in the midst of his addiction and his decision to lie on a government form when he purchased a gun and his decision to possess that gun. It was these decisions and the combination of weapons and drugs that made his behavior dangerous. Secondly, no one is above the law. Everyone must answer for his actions, even this defendant. However, Hunter Biden should be no more responsible than any other citizen convicted of this same conduct. The prosecution has been and will continue to be committed to this principle and to the principles of federal prosecution and the performance of its responsibilities,” special prosecutor David Weiss said Tuesday after an appearance.
What other accusations does Hunter Biden have pending?
Hunter Biden has been charged since December with nine alleged tax crimes before California courts. Biden’s son regularized the pending payments and the case was going to be closed in accordance with that agreement with prosecutors that finally derailed. The trial is scheduled for September.
Do the cases affect the president?
Both the charges for the purchase and possession of the revolver and the alleged tax crimes concern only Hunter Biden. Republicans have spent years unsuccessfully trying to find links showing that Joe Biden benefited from his son’s business dealings, that he collected commissions and other irregularities. His harassment of the president – through requests and interrogations of alleged witnesses and the opening of an investigation for a possible impeachment with which to continue eroding him― has reached a dead end after not having found any evidence against President Biden. Much of the accusations centered on the testimony of a confidant who said that Joe Biden had collected a commission of five million dollars from Ukraine. It was later proven that it was all a fabrication by a person with ties to Russian intelligence, and the confidant that the Republicans had blindly believed in is being prosecuted for perjury.
What has the Trump campaign said?
“This trial has been nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family, which has raked in tens of millions of dollars from China, Russia and Ukraine,” said Karoline Leavitt, press secretary for the Trump campaign. , through a statement in which he insists on the accusations without evidence that he has tried to prove without success. “Corrupt Joe Biden’s reign over the Biden Family Criminal Empire is coming to an end on November 5, and never again will a Biden sell access to the government for personal gain,” she added.