US President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden has been found guilty of lying about drug addiction while buying a firearm. A court in the state of Delaware, USA, on Tuesday found him guilty of all three criminal charges related to this matter.
Hunter Biden, 54, is the first son of a sitting US president to be convicted of a criminal offence. He faces a maximum jail term of 25 years. However, experts say, as a first-time offender, his sentence is unlikely to be long.
In the lawsuit against Bidenputra, Hunter Biden bought a Point 38 caliber revolver in 2018. He hid his drug addiction while buying the weapon. Prosecutors have brought three charges against Hunter Biden in this incident.
The first charge is that Hunter Biden gave false information when purchasing a firearm. The second allegation is that he also settled for false information in the documents of the arms dealer. And the third charge is that Hunter Biden illegally possessed firearms.
Hunter Biden faces up to 10 years in prison for providing false information when purchasing a firearm. He faces up to 5 years in prison for entering false information in the arms dealer's records and up to 10 years for illegally possessing a firearm while under the influence of drugs.
Under US law, citizens of the country have the right to purchase firearms. But while buying arms, a person must state in the application whether he is a drug addict or not.
Hunter Biden has faced criticism for drug addiction and personal life. He had to suffer with these issues for a long time. He admitted to cocaine addiction in 2018.
Hunter's older brother Beau Biden died of cancer in 2015. Hunter Biden wrote in his autobiography, Beautiful Things, that he became addicted to drugs after his brother's death. He quit drugs in 2019.
A 12-member panel of judges took the testimony of witnesses in this case for a week. Today, the verdict was announced for about three hours. The court has not yet mentioned a specific date on when Hunter Biden's sentence can be announced. But after announcing the verdict, a judge said that usually the sentence is announced within 120 days.
US President Joe Biden made a statement after the court's verdict. The US President has said that he will accept the verdict and sentence in this case. His respect for the judicial process will remain steadfast. Hunter is considering appealing the ruling.
"As I said last week, I'm president, but I'm also a father," Joe Biden said in a statement. Jill and I love our child. We are very proud of the man he (Hunter) has become.'
"Jill and I will always be by Hunter's side and the rest of our family will be by his side with love and support," Biden added. It will never change.
This judgment can become a political tool
Hunter Biden's felony conviction will become a campaign tool for his father Joe Biden's campaign in the US presidential election next November.
Republican leader Donald Trump has also recently been found guilty of criminal charges. Trump paid a porn star to cover up sex. He was found guilty in a case of not mentioning that information in business transaction documents. The court will announce the sentence against him on July 11.
If the Democrat camp wants to use the court ruling against Trump in the election field, the opposing camp will also have an opportunity to bring up the issue of Hunter Biden. Moreover, if the son's sentence is announced, it could divert Biden's attention from the election.
But the BBC's North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher, believes Hunter Biden's conviction will have little effect on who Americans will vote for in the November election.
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