Jury finds Hunter Biden guilty in criminal gun trial
3 Min Read
President Joe Biden's 54-year-old son was convicted on all three felony counts related to his 2018 handgun purchase while he was addicted to drugs.
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Hunter Biden departs from federal court, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Wilmington, Del. (AP)
A jury on Tuesday found Hunter Biden guilty of federal gun charges, marking the first criminal prosecution of a sitting US president's child.
President Joe Biden's 54-year-old son was convicted on all three felony counts related to his 2018 handgun purchase from a Delaware gun store while he was addicted to drugs.
This verdict coincides with President Biden's reelection campaign and a scheduled speech on gun violence in Washington.
The president expressed his "love and support" for his son in a statement released by the White House following the conclusion of the trial held in Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
"I am the President, but I am also a Dad," Biden said. "Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today."
"So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery," he said.
"I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal," Biden added.
The 12-member jury deliberated for about three hours over two days before reaching their verdict.
Hunter Biden did not testify during the one-week trial. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years for two of the felony counts and five years for the third.
The verdict comes less than two weeks after Donald Trump, Joe Biden's likely Republican opponent in the November election, was convicted on business fraud charges.
These proceedings, along with Hunter Biden's separate tax evasion charges in California, complicate Democrats' efforts to focus the election on Trump, the first former president ever convicted of a crime.
Hunter Biden, a Yale-trained lawyer, was charged with falsely stating during the 2018 purchase of a .38 caliber revolver that he was not using drugs illegally. He was also charged with illegal possession of the firearm, which he held for just 11 days in October of that year. The president's son claimed he did not consider himself an addict at the time of the purchase.
Long a target of hard-right Republicans, Hunter Biden has been extensively investigated by Trump allies in Congress over allegations of corruption and influence-peddling, though no charges have ever been brought.
His business dealings in China and Ukraine have also spurred Republican efforts to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Biden, which have not progressed.
The White House has confirmed that there will be no presidential pardon for Hunter Biden.
Separately, he faces charges in Los Angeles federal court for evading taxes on over $1.4 million in income over several years, with that trial scheduled for September, just two months before the presidential election.
Read more: CIA accused of blocking IRS interviews to protect Hunter Biden
