Hunter Bidenson of an American president Joe Bidenit was announced on Tuesday not guilty gun purchase charges against him in 2018 for lying about not using drugs, despite later admitting to struggling with his crack addiction
This is Hunter Biden’s first appearance before a judge since he was charged Sept. 14 with three counts of illegal acquisition and possession of a weapon, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
However, the sentence is usually lighter for those who, as in this case, do not have a criminal record.
His appearance, which lasted about half an hour, took place in federal court in the city center. Wilmington, Delaware who woke up on Tuesday surrounded by journalists, floodlights and television cameras, and a powerful security device.
There was a short court hearing inside the building where Judge Christopher Burke made sure Hunter understood his rights and the crimes he was accused of, and then allowed him to plead guilty or not guilty before them.
His lawyers requested that he appear via video conference to save the government the cost of traveling the defendant and his Secret Service agents from his residence in California to Delaware, on the opposite coast of the country. However, the judge determined that should not receive “special treatment” and ordered him to come in person.
Specifically, he is charged with two counts of perjury: the first for checking a box on a form stating that he was not a drug addict, and the second for providing this information to the store knowing that she was lying. .
The third charge is that he possessed the gun for 11 days despite knowing he was a drug addict.
Hunter Biden, 53, has publicly acknowledged that he struggled for decades with alcohol and drug addiction, which worsened after the death of his brother Beau in 2015 from a brain tumor.
When he bought the gun in 2018, he was deep in a spiral of depression following his divorce from Kathleen Boulet, with whom he had three children, and was also going through a particularly difficult time due to his crack addiction, as he revealed in his book . memoirs. Beautiful things, published in 2021.
The charges against Hunter Biden are the result of an investigation that began in 2018 during the Donald Trump administration (2017-2021) and which the former president himself, now a Republican presidential candidate, used to attack Biden, who may face each other friend in the 2024 elections.
The five-year investigation led to an agreement this year between Hunter Biden’s defense team and the prosecution team led by the prosecutor. David Weissappointed by Trump, which could end the legal drama.
However, that pact collapsed and Hunter now faces a trial likely to take place mid-campaign in November 2024.
As part of this new trial, Weiss, the Trump-appointed prosecutor who has been investigating Hunter Biden since the beginning, has been appointed special prosecutor in the case by Attorney General Merrick Garland, giving him greater independence and authority to prepare a report on his investigation that could be made public during the election campaign.
This trial is developing in parallel with another political struggle in Congress.
There, the Republican majority in the lower house has opened an impeachment inquiry against Biden, who is accused of using his political influence to benefit his son Hunter’s overseas businesses, a charge the White House has repeatedly denied.
(according to information from EFE)