Here’s what’s next for Hunter Biden following his conviction on gun charges
WILMINGTON, Del. — First son Hunter Biden became the first child of a sitting president to ever be convicted of a crime Tuesday, after a jury found him guilty in a felony gun case — but his sentencing date hasn’t been set yet.
Federal Judge Maryellen Noreika has yet to determine when she will dole out punishment to President Biden’s 54-year-old son — but she noted after the verdict was read that sentencing hearings are normally set about four months after conviction.
Here’s what we know so far about his verdict and the next steps in the case:
What was Hunter Biden found guilty of?
Here are the charges the Biden scion was found guilty of:
- Count 1 — making a false statement in purchase of firearm
- Count 2 — making a false statement related to information required to be kept by federal firearms licensed dealer
- Count 3 — possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substance
The jury found that Hunter lied on a federal gun application form when he checked a box indicating he didn’t use drugs on Oct. 12, 2018 when he bought a .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver from a Wilmington firearms store — all while he was in the throes of a serious crack cocaine addiction.
Will Hunter Biden go to jail?
While we don’t know what sentence Noreika will hand down, we do know the maximum terms Hunter faces.
- on count 1 he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years
- on count 2 he faces a maximum sentence of 5 years
- on count 3 he faces a maximum sentences of 10 years
The judge will set a date for prosecutors in special counsel David Weiss’ office and Hunter’s defense team to file papers laying out what term they believe Hunter should receive.
While the Biden son could face up to 25 years, he’s unlikely to get such a heavy sentence under the federal guidelines since he’s never been convicted of a crime before.
Will President Joe Biden pardon Hunter?
President Biden reiterated his prior sentiment Tuesday that he doesn’t plan to pardon his son following his conviction.
“I am the President, but I am also a Dad,” Biden said, adding that he was “so proud of the man [Hunter] is today.
“As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal,” the president said.
The embattled younger Biden separately faces more legal woes when an unrelated trial, scheduled for Sept. 5, goes forward on charges he didn’t pay $1.4 million in taxes from the years 2016 through 2019. The tab has since been paid.
Hunter’s lawyer Abbe Lowell teased a likely appeal of the conviction Tuesday, saying the defense team was “disappointed” by the verdict and would “vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available to Hunter.”
