Originally published September 14, 2023 11:37 am PDT
Federal prosecutors have brought forward an indictment against Hunter Biden, the son of current U.S. President Joe Biden, related to gun charges.
The charges stem from alleged false statements made by Hunter Biden concerning his use of illegal drugs at the time of purchasing a firearm in 2018.
The Delaware federal court has indicted Hunter on three specific counts.
Two of these counts concern statements he made when purchasing a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018, where he claimed not to be using illicit substances.
The third count pertains to the possession of this firearm during a time when he was allegedly using narcotics.
The indictment specifically states that Hunter indicated on a mandatory federal form “that he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious.”
The implications of this indictment are significant.
If found guilty, Hunter could face up to 10 years in prison for two of the counts, and the third count could result in a sentence of up to five years.
This groundbreaking indictment follows the collapse of a plea agreement earlier this year that might have concluded the prolonged investigation into Hunter Biden’s activities.
This also coincides with the commencement of an impeachment inquiry by House Republicans, who are seeking financial records from both the president and his son.
The individual supervising this case is special counsel David Weiss, who initiated the investigation and has been in charge since 2018, prior to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign announcement, NBC News notes.
Weiss, appointed during the Trump era, was maintained as U.S. attorney for Delaware due to the complex nature of an investigation involving a president’s son.
The initial plea agreement, reached in July, had proposed that Hunter plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax offenses in exchange for a probationary sentence.
In this agreement, a separate felony gun charge related to the Colt Cobra would have been dropped after two years, contingent upon compliance with the diversion agreement terms.
However, concerns raised by U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika about some specifics led to its eventual collapse.
The judge highlighted certain peculiarities in the agreements, noting they contained “some atypical provisions,” leading to further debate between prosecutors and Hunter’s legal team.
The defense lawyer for Hunter, Abbe Lowell, maintains the validity of the diversion agreement, asserting it “prevents any additional charges from being filed against Mr. Biden.”
He expressed confidence last week in achieving a resolution based “on the evidence and the law, not outside political pressure.”
A significant factor in these cases is Hunter’s battle with drug and alcohol addiction, as indicated in court documents.
These records acknowledge his sobriety since May 2019 and the settlement of approximately $2 million in back taxes and penalties by late 2021.
An accompanying document in the original gun case revealed that, during the time Hunter purchased the revolver in October 2018, he was actively using crack cocaine.
This assertion is reinforced by his response on a federal form where he negated the use of narcotics.
“Biden answered ‘no,’ even though he was a user of and addicted to crack cocaine at the time.”
Following this, for a span of 11 days, Hunter not only retained the gun but also regularly consumed crack cocaine.
The firearm was later discovered in his car with drug-related items and was eventually discarded in a public trash receptacle in Delaware.
