Hunter Biden could be jailed for up to 25 years and face a fine as high as $750,000 if convicted on gun-related charges. Special Counsel David Weiss, who agreed a deal with the President’s son that deferred the charges but was thrown out by a judge, indicted Hunter Biden on three counts. These include making a false statement in purchasing a firearm, which carries a maximum of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The second count is making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer – this carries a five-year jail term and a $250,000, and the third count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance comes with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Hunter Biden is accused of lying on a form to purchase a firearm. He answered negatively when asked if he used controlled narcotics despite admitting to prolific drug use at the time. He was not charged with offenses related to tax violations, but those remain a possibility.
Weiss initially made a deal with Hunter Biden, allowing him to plead guilty to two tax-related charges and defer the gun counts. This meant he could avoid jail time, but US District Judge Maryellen Noreika threw it out and told attorneys to go back to the drawing board. He is accused of failing to pay up to $100,000 in taxes in 2017 and 2018.
The more serious gun counts date back to 2018 when the President’s son purchased a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver and said he was not a drug abuser. His memoirs, however, reveal that he was using crack cocaine. The case will test whether drug use is an automatic bar from gun ownership. A court in New Orleans has ruled that it should not be, but the question has not previously been asked in a Delaware court.
