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A jury in Delaware has reached a verdict in a case brought by federal prosecutors against first son Hunter Biden for allegedly purchasing a handgun illegally and lying on a background check form.
A federal jury found Hunter Biden guilty of all three federal felonies related to weapons, concluding that he had violated laws intended to prevent drug addicts from owning guns.
“The conviction marks the first time a president’s immediate family member has been found guilty of a crime during their father’s term in office, though his crimes predate Joe Biden’s tenure as president,” CNN reported.
“Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $750,000 at sentencing, though he likely will receive far less than the maximum as a first-time offender. Court has adjourned for the day after the jury found Hunter Biden guilty on all three counts. The jury deliberated for just under three hours. First lady Jill Biden arrived at the courthouse shortly after the verdict was read,” the outlet added.
BREAKING: President Biden’s son Hunter found guilty on all counts on gun charges. pic.twitter.com/OBwLoaJPsB
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 11, 2024
BREAKING: Hunter Biden found guilty on all counts pic.twitter.com/RxcyvBKiDn
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 11, 2024
Former District Attorney Phil Holloway appeared on Fox News last week and said that the defense strategy was to win sympathy for their client.
“I think if the jury is paying attention to the presentation that the prosecutors are putting on, the presentation that’s occurring in the front of the courtroom, these witnesses did a lot of damage to Hunter Biden,” he said. “[I]t’s obvious that at the relevant time when he bought that gun, he was both addicted to drugs and he was also an unlawful user of drugs, particularly, I think, crack cocaine being the big one.”
“But here’s the thing, Harris. There’s another presentation that’s taking place in that courtroom, and it’s for the benefit of the jury. The presence of the First Lady, the presence of the rest of the Biden family, all that stuff is there for the jury to see. The defense has orchestrated it for the benefit of the jury,” he said. “They’re trying to evoke sympathy. This is in the Biden’s backyard. There’s bound to be people on that jury who have great affection for at least some of the Bidens.”
“So this is an effort to get jury nullification, which is, of course, when the jury says okay, maybe he’s guilty, the evidence is there, but we’re gonna give him a pass anyway, that’s they have the power to do it,” he said. “The lawyers cannot directly ask for it, but they’re doing it in the way that you see playing out in the courtroom.”
The evidence from the prosecution was strong but Hunter’s daughter Naomi provided some contradictory testimony for the defense. She said that when she and her fiancé visited her father in a Los Angeles rehab in 2018, he was “the clearest he had ever been since my uncle [Beau Biden] died.”
“He seemed really great,” she told the jury.
She said that weeks after he dad purchased the firearm, she borrowed his truck to drive from New York to Washington and that the car was in good shape, and she did not notice any drug paraphernalia or evidence that drugs had been used in the truck.
The testimony contradicted that of Hallie Biden, Hunter’s ex-girlfriend and ex-sister-in-law, who said the car was full of drug paraphernalia and trash when she visited him around the same time.
On cross-examination, Naomi did admit that she received an unusual text message from her dad around five days after he purchased the weapon, around Oct. 17, 2018, The Washington Times reported:
In the text messages, Hunter Biden asked her if her now-husband could bring the truck to 57th and 5th Ave. in Manhattan to swap cars.
“Right now?” she responded.
Prosecutor Leo Wise asked if she knew what her father was doing at two o’clock in the morning or why it was so important to swap cars at that moment.
“No,” Naomi Biden replied, adding that her dad still “seemed good” and she was “hopeful.”
“I’m really sorry dad I can’t take this,” she wrote in a later text to Hunter Biden in October 2018. She was trying to “hang out” with her dad in New York, but he had been unreachable. Hunter Biden later replied, apologizing for not being available.
President Biden confirmed to ABC News prior to the jury’s verdict that, if convicted, he would not pardon his son, but some had questioned that, predicting he would if need be.