Damning texts Hunter Biden sent drug dealer shown by prosecutors in potentially big blow to defense
WILMINGTON, Del. — First son Hunter Biden tried to meet up with a since-convicted drug dealer the day before he lied about his crack cocaine use in order to buy a .38-caliber revolver, according to text messages highlighted by federal prosecutors Monday.
On the evening of Oct. 11, 2018, Hunter, now 54, told a contact to “[m]eet me 7/11 at 3.”
President Biden’s son had spend part of the previous two days trying to arrange a rendezvous with the person, who was saved in his contacts as “Q.”
![On the evening of Oct, 11, 2018, Hunter, now 54, told a contact to "[m]eet me 7/11 at 3."](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/hunter-bidens-gun-trial-us-83592731.jpg?w=1024)
“Can you meet me @ 7/11 now[?],” the younger Biden asked on the afternoon of Oct. 10, 2018, only to be told that “Q,” who also called himself “Jr,” couldn’t make it right away.
It’s unclear if the two ever met up before Hunter stopped in at Starquest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington on Oct. 12, 2018.
DailyMail.com identified Hunter’s contact as Eladio Otero Jr., who pleaded guilty in June 2023 to one count of using a communication device to facilitate a drug conspiracy as part of a deal with Delaware federal prosecutors. Otero was sentenced to 15 months in prison and a year of supervised release.
In addition to the federal rap, Otero was convicted in 2010 of second-degree assault in Maryland in connection with a 2007 armed robbery.
The messages to “Q” were a focal point of a brief rebuttal appearance by FBI agent Erika Jensen, who was recalled to the stand by prosecutors to counter defense claims that Hunter was not in the grip of a crack addiction at the time he bought the Colt Cobra.
Prosecutor Derek Hines noted that Hunter Biden referenced the convenience store in question “both before and after the gun purchase,” suggesting that it was his regular spot to purchase the addictive street drug.
But defense attorney Abbe Lowell noted that the messages from before the gun purchase had no location data confirming the first son’s whereabouts.
“Was he going to meet Q or getting a cup of coffee?” he asked Jensen at one point.
“I don’t know,” said Jensen, who analyzed evidence from the first son’s notorious laptop. “I have no further context.”
An email recovered from Hunter Biden’s hard drive also shows he withdrew $800 from his Wells Fargo checking account on the evening of Oct. 11.
That is in line with behavior testified to by Hunter’s ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan, who told prosecutors last week that her lover routinely removed large sums of cash to buy drugs — even giving Kestan and at least one dealer access codes to pull the money from his account themselves.
Authorities were able to recover location data from a text Hunter sent to his sister-in-law-turned-lover Hallie Biden at around 4 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2018, which placed him at the 7-Eleven about an hour later.
“Sometimes we had text messages without location data,” Lowell said to Jensen. “Sometimes we had location data without text messages.”
The first son’s defense team called just three witnesses — including Hunter’s eldest daughter, Naomi — before resting their case Monday.
After closing arguments by both sides, the six-man, six-woman jury began deliberations at 3:33 p.m., breaking for the day one hour later.
Family affair
Hunter Biden arrived at the courthouse around 8 a.m. Monday, followed by his stepmother, first lady Jill Biden.
Jill Biden has been in attendance for every day of her stepson’s trial but one — she missed Thursday’s proceedings to fly to France to observe commemorations of the 80th anniversary of D-Day alongside her husband, President Biden.
Hunter’s half-sister, Ashley, was back in court Monday morning, where she has been a constant presence along with the first son’s so-called “sugar brother,” Kevin Morris; the president’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens; and Jill’s sister Bonny Jacobs.
First brother James “Jim” Biden also attended Monday’s proceedings. He had been floated as a possible defense witness, but was never called to testify.
Follow the latest on Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial:
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- Here’s what’s next for Hunter Biden following his conviction on gun charges
Trial judge Maryellen Noreika kicked off proceedings Monday morning by overruling many of the defense team’s objections to her proposed instructions to the jury.
Much of the morning was taken up by sidebars between both sides over issues like the definitions of “reasonable doubt” and “firearms dealer,” as well as the immunity granted by prosecutors to both Kestan and Hallie Biden. The judge and attorneys also discussed how jurors can request to see certain physical exhibits, including the gun at the center of the case, during their deliberations.
Defense attorneys had argued in their proposed jury instructions that “the overly expansive and amorphous” definitions of what it means to be a drug “user” and to “possess” a firearm would deny Hunter Biden a fair trial.
They also contend that any conviction obtained using those instructions cannot be sustained on appeal.
With Post wires
![On the evening of Oct, 11, 2018, Hunter, now 54, told a contact to "[m]eet me 7/11 at 3."](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/hunter-bidens-gun-trial-us-83592731.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024)
