Hunter, 54, faces three counts accusing him of illegally possessing a firearm while addicted to crack cocaine after lying on a federal gun-purchase form to obtain the weapon in the first place.
Although President Biden isn’t implicated in the case, the trial could create some unwelcome headlines for the commander in chief as his re-election campaign kicks into high gear ahead of his first debate with Trump later this month.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Hunter Biden trial.
Officially, Hunter Biden is charged with three felonies: making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed firearms dealer, and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of or addict to a controlled substance.
If convicted on all charges, the first son faces up to 25 years in prison and fines totaling more than $750,000 — though he is very unlikely to receive the maximum sentence if found guilty.
COUNT 1: False Statement in Purchase of a Firearm
Faces a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release, a special assessment of $100.
COUNT 2: False Statement Related to Information Required to be Kept by Federal Firearms Licensed Dealer
Faces a maximum of five years’ imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release, a special assessment of $100.
COURT 3: Possession of a Firearm by a Person who is an Unlawful User of or Addicted to a Controlled Substance
Faces a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release, a special assessment of $100.
Ironically, Joe Biden helped pass legislation that shaped the law governing firearm applications that Hunter now stands accused of flouting.
The application asked, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?”
Ironically, Joe Biden helped pass legislation that shaped the law governing firearm applications that Hunter now stands accused of flouting.
Hunter Biden answered “no,” despite knowing, according to prosecutors that the statement was “false and fictitious.”
Hunter Biden told friends that he made the gun purchase on Oct. 12, 2018, on a whim and believed that time at a shooting range could help him avoid a drug relapse, according to a New York Times report from January 2023. He also claimed to have believed that he was sober the day he filled out the form.
The Post previously reported on images from the first son’s laptop showing him asleep with what appears to be a crack pipe in his mouth on Oct. 8, 2018.
Hunter Biden later told The Daily Beast that the photograph depicted a meth pipe rather than a crack pipe and alleged that the picture had been staged.
In his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” Hunter claimed that he was “smoking crack every 15 minutes” around the time of the gun purchase.
On Oct. 11, 2018, the day before Hunter went to buy the gun, he texted a man identified in his contacts as “q” asking to meet at a 7-Eleven. “Q” asked Hunter if he wanted “the same” thing, an apparent reference to drugs.
It’s unclear whether the men met up that day.