11th June, 2024
Hunter Biden, son of United States President, Joe Biden has been found guilty on all three counts in his federal gun crimes case in Delaware.
The 12-person jury found the US president’s son lied about his drug use on a form when purchasing a handgun in 2018.
Biden now faces a possible prison term of up to 25 years, although a sentence of that length for a first-time offender is highly unlikely, the BBC reports.
The jury deliberated after listening to a week of witness testimony about the 54-year-old’s drug addiction.
The judge said a sentencing is usually set for 120 days following a verdict, which would put it in mid-October.
The conviction marks the first time a president’s immediate family member has been found guilty of a crime during their father’s term in office, though his crimes predate Joe Biden’s tenure as president, according to the CNN.
Biden had pleaded not guilty to the charges – two counts of making false statements and one count of illegal gun possession.
The high-profile trial comes as his father runs for re-election.
President Biden said he would accept the outcome of this case and would continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.