US President Joe Biden supported both his son and the legal system throughout the trial process and guilty verdict. Image source: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, via Wikimedia Commons
Hunter Biden, son of current US President Joe Biden, has been convicted of all charges in his federal court case.
The charges carry a full sentence of up to 25 years in jail, though there are several mitigating factors that may lead to a reduced sentence.
This included the fact that Hunter Biden had no criminal record prior to this trial, that the gun was not used to commit a violent crime, and that he had been knowingly complying with the terms of his pretrial release, including monthly drug testing.
Maryellen Noreika, the judge overseeing the case, did not set a date for sentencing, but it will likely occur before 5 November, the US Presidential Election.
Hunter Biden’s trial included testimony from his daughter on his drug usage. His brother’s widow also testified, stating that she was the person who found and threw away the gun.
The investigation into Hunter Biden’s ownership of an illegal firearm began in 2018. It was headed by David Weiss, a Delaware US attorney who was nominated by then-US President Donald Trump for the position.
When the verdict was announced, Weiss stated that the case was not “about addiction” but was about the “illegal choices the defendant made while in the throes of addiction”.
“No one in this country is above the law,” said Weiss.
“However, Hunter Biden should be no more accountable than any other citizen convicted of this same conduct.”
The Trump campaign provided a response to the guilty verdict, calling it a “distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family”.
The Trump campaign continues to state that Trump’s own conviction was based on a “rigged jury”, contrasting US President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would “continue to respect the judicial process”.
Hunter Biden faces a second trial in California regarding violations of tax law between 2016 and 2019. He is charged with failing to pay $US1.4 million ($2.1 million) in tax during this time.
Due to his federal conviction providing him with a criminal record, he may face a greater sentence if found guilty in California.
This trial is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in September.
