President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has been indicted in a federal court in Delaware on felony gun charges.
Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (pdf) on Sept. 14 show that Hunter Biden was indicted on three counts in connection with allegations that he made false statements to a gun dealer and possessed a firearm while using drugs.
Two of the counts relate to allegations that Hunter Biden “knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement, intended and likely to deceive” a gun dealer when he sought to buy a firearm in October 2018.
Mr. Biden “provided a written statement on Form 4473 certifying he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious,” the indictment reads.
The third count relates to Mr. Biden’s possession of a Colt Cobra 38PL revolver while “knowing that he was an unlawful user of and addicted to any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance,” which like the other two counts is in violation of sections of Title 18 of the U.S. Code.
The most serious of the charges—counts one and three—carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release.
The indictment was signed by special counsel David Weiss, who was appointed to lead the investigation by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
According to a defendant information sheet (pdf), instructions were filed on Sept. 14 for a summons to be issued for Mr. Biden to make an initial court appearance, though no further details about a court date were provided.
There was no immediate response by Mr. Biden’s legal team to the indictment.
The Epoch Times reached out to Mr. Biden’s attorney with a request for comment but no reply was received by the time of publication.
Background
On Sept. 6, Mr. Weiss’ team said that prosecutors planned to ask a grand jury to indict Mr. Biden in relatively short order.
“The Speedy Trial Act requires that the Government obtain the return of an indictment by a grand jury by Friday, September 29, 2023, at the earliest. The Government intends to seek the return of an indictment in this case before that date,” Mr. Weiss’s team told a federal court in Delaware.
Initially, prosecutors agreed to allow Mr. Biden to enter a pretrial diversion agreement that likely would have seen him avoid any jail time, but that deal fell apart.
Several outlets have reported that Mr. Biden possessed a gun in 2018 and that his then-girlfriend, Hallie Biden—the widow of his brother, Beau—threw the gun into a garbage can before it was recovered by authorities. He has said in his autobiography that he was using crack cocaine that year.
Christopher Clark, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, issued an earlier statement to media outlets.
“I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life,” Mr. Clark said. “He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
Earlier, the White House issued a statement indicating that President Joe Biden stands by his son as he faces legal woes.
“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life,” White House spokesperson Ian Sams told The Epoch Times in an email. “We will have no further comment.”
From The Epoch Times