The president’s son found guilty on all charges

A federal jury convicted Hunter Biden on federal gun charges, a historic first for the child of a sitting president, after a trial in which emotional testimony from his ex-wife and sister-in-law about his drug use was excruciating.

President Joe Biden’s son faces up to 25 years in prison on three charges: lying on a federal drug-use screening form, lying to a gun dealer and possessing a weapon – although first-time violent offenders typically get shorter sentences.

“Usually when we announce a verdict, 120 days have passed, but we will contact you,” said Presiding U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika.

The verdict came after a failed July 2023 plea deal that could have resolved gun and tax charges without prison time for the 54-year-old businessman, author and lawyer. Biden faces another federal trial starting September 5 in California for alleged tax evasion.

Biden’s legal troubles coincide with his father’s re-election campaigns. But the elder Biden issued a statement at the start of the trial supporting his son and later told ABC News he would not pardon him.

Juror: Politics had no influence on the verdict

After the guilty verdict, one of the women on the jury said she felt no pressure because the defendant’s father was president.

She said jurors noticed First Lady Jill Biden’s regular presence in the courtroom gallery.

“I noticed her and her hair,” she said with a smile.

Another juror agreed that politics played no role in either juror’s vote.

“We relied solely on evidence,” he said. “We just had to find out the truth.”

—Xerxes Wilson

Special Counsel David Weiss says the Hunter Biden case was about the election

After the verdict was announced, special prosecutor David Weiss, who has been investigating the Hunter Biden case for years, spoke out, emphasizing that the prosecution in this case comes down to the elections.

“While there was much testimony about the defendant’s drug and alcohol abuse, ultimately this case was not just about addiction, a disease that plagues families across the United States, including Hunter Biden’s,” Weiss said at a news conference after the hearing. . “The case involved the defendant’s illegal choices in the face of addiction, his decision to lie on a government form when he purchased a gun, and his decision to possess a gun.”

He also pointed to responsibility and the fact that no one – not even the president’s son – is above the law.

–Isabel Hughes

Jurors: The first votes were evenly divided

The two jurors who presided over Hunter Biden’s criminal trial said the vote on the first count was evenly split shortly after receiving the case and lasted less than an hour of deliberation on Monday afternoon.

From there, they read the elements of the charges in the jury instructions and talked, jurors said. They deliberated for about two hours before reaching guilty verdicts.

“We solved the case and listened to other people’s opinions,” one juror said after the verdict. “That just made me feel guilty about all three.”

—Xerxes Wilson

Defense “naturally disappointed” with the outcome of the trial

Hunter Biden’s defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, did not address the media outside the federal courthouse, but released a statement about the trial saying he was “naturally disappointed” with the verdict.

“We respect the jury process and, as has been the case throughout this case, we will continue to vigorously pursue any legal challenges available to Hunter,” Lowell said.

Hunter Biden reiterated his gratitude for the support he witnessed during the trial, as many family members and local friends from across the state of Delaware showed up in court to defend the president’s son.

“Today, I am more grateful for the love and support I experienced last week from Melissa, my family, friends and my community than I am disappointed with the outcome,” he said in a written statement. “Healing is possible by the grace of God and I am blessed to experience this gift every day.”

‘Jill and I will always stand by Hunter’: President Joe Biden announces announcement on verdict

President Joe Biden reminded the public that while he is president, he is also a father – and a proud one at that when it comes to son Hunter.

“Many families who have loved ones struggling with addiction understand the feeling of pride in seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery,” he said. “As I also said last week, I will accept this proposed outcome in this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter hears his appeal.

“Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.”

A Delaware retiree found a gun in a grocery store trash can

General Motors retiree Edward Banner, 80, who was collecting trash cans looking for aluminum cans, found the gun outside Janssen’s Market in Greenville. A state police lieutenant found him and asked if he had found anything unusual.

“I definitely remember finding it,” Banner said of the gun.

READ THE FULL STORY:How a General Motors retiree collecting garbage in Delaware was prosecuted by Hunter Biden

Hallie Biden Testifies About Her and Hunter’s Drug Use

Hallie Biden, Beau Biden’s widow, testified how her brother-in-law introduced her to drugs. She also walked the jury through a series of text messages sent in the days after Hunter Biden bought the gun on Oct. 12, 2018 – text messages that prosecutors considered as evidence that Hunter Biden was using drugs at the same time as then. bought a gun.

The next day, we received a text saying he was behind the baseball stadium in Wilmington, “waiting for a dealer named Mookie.”

Hallie Biden later sent a text to Hunter Biden stating that she had tried calling him “500 times in the last 24 hours.” He finally replied, “I was sleeping in my car, smoking crack, on 4th Street and Rodney.”

Biden’s trial followed the collapse of a plea deal on gun and tax charges

The plea agreement, which was terminated last July, gave Biden the opportunity to avoid prison time on all charges. Noreika rejected the deal due to disagreements between prosecutors and defense attorneys over protecting Biden from future charges.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a U.S. attorney in Delaware, David Weiss, as special counsel to continue the independent investigation. Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, argued unsuccessfully that the charges should be dismissed because no new evidence has emerged since the settlement.

The gun indictment accuses Biden of knowingly defrauding a firearms dealer by purchasing a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver. He was accused of falsely filling out a federal form in which he denied being addicted to any drugs. He was also charged with knowingly possessing a revolver despite restrictions placed on drug addicts possessing firearms. The three charges carried a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

The indictment accuses Biden of three criminal offenses and six misdemeanors. He allegedly participated in a scheme in which he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed taxes between 2016 and 2019, and also evaded his 2018 tax return by submitting false returns.

The previous agreement would have allowed Biden to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges, which could result in no prison time, and to enter a pretrial program on a gun charge, which could be dismissed if he complied.

But Republicans hailed the deal as a sweetheart deal, and Hunter Biden became a lightning rod for criticism of his father.

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