Jury begins deliberations in Hunter Biden federal gun trial

On By Rgal Nv

4:57 p.m. ET, June 10, 2024

Hunter Biden’s legal fate is in the hands of the jury. Here is a reminder of the 3 charges he faces

By Marshall Cohen of CNN



Hunter Biden and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden leave the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware on Friday.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

A panel of 12 Delaware citizens is deliberating in the federal gun trial against Hunter Biden after both sides presented closing arguments.

This is the first time in American history that the child of the sitting president has been tried. The indictment was filed by the Justice Department, specifically by David Weiss, the special prosecutor appointed last year to oversee the Hunter Biden investigations.

Hunter Biden, 54, is accused of illegally purchasing and possessing a firearm while abusing or being dependent on drugs, a violation of federal law. He has pleaded not guilty to all three charges, although he has spoken openly about his problems with alcohol and crack addiction.

The first two charges in the three-count indictment relate to the gun purchase itself.

When a person purchases a gun, they must fill out a form with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and affirm that they are legally allowed to purchase the gun. Hunter Biden was accused of lying on these forms.

These questions include: Have you been convicted of a crime? Are you a fugitive? Are you in the country illegally? And, importantly in this matter, are you an “illegal user or addict” of illegal drugs? Hunter Biden would have checked the “No” box.

Count 3 concerns possession of the weapon. It is also against federal law to possess a firearm if you abuse drugs. Hunter Biden had the gun for 11 days in October 2018, before his girlfriend threw it in a dumpster because she was concerned about his mental health, according to the indictment and released texts. public in recent court cases.

“Guns pose a danger if they get into the wrong hands, and that’s what drives these laws,” Nabeel Kibria, a Washington, D.C.-based defense attorney who has handled hundreds of cases, told CNN. firearms cases. “The evidence seems stacked against Hunter…but who determines who is an addict? What are the clear rules to follow?

If convicted on all three counts, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison, although he will likely receive far less than the maximum as a first-time offender.