By Tom Hals and Jack Queen
WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) – A jury selected the U.S. president on Tuesday Joe Biden‘s son Hunter is guilty of making false statements on a gun background check and of illegally possessing a firearm. Here’s what happens next.
WILL HUNTER BIDEN BE LOCKED UP?
Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, but the sentencing guidelines for illegally possessing a firearm, Hunter Biden’s most serious crime, are 15 to 21 months and most offenders get less than that. He could also serve multiple sentences at the same time.
Biden has not used the firearm in the commission of a violent crime, has no criminal record and has complied with the conditions of his pretrial release, including monthly drug tests. These will likely be mitigating factors and legal experts said Hunter Biden may not be in jail.
WHEN WILL HUNTER BIDEN BE CONVICTED?
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika did not set a sentencing date.
Defendants found guilty in Delaware federal court are typically sentenced within 120 days of their conviction. That would be about a month before the November 5 US presidential election.
Hunter Biden will first be interviewed by probation officials, who will prepare a confidential report with a range of sentences based on federal sentencing guidelines.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys will respond to the report with their own recommendations, and the judge overseeing the case will hold a hearing before making a decision.
HOW CAN HUNTER BIDEN QUALIFY?
Hunter Biden’s legal team made three arguments to dismiss the case prior to trial, and was able to raise these issues again on appeal.
They argued that the gun law was unconstitutional after a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanding gun rights, that the case was politically motivated and that a plea deal Hunter Biden made last year remains in effect even though prosecutors have withdrawn it .
His attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement that they would “vigorously pursue all legal challenges available to Hunter.”
REMAINING TAX MATTERS
Hunter Biden still faces trial in September on charges of violating tax laws. Because he has been convicted once, he could face a harsher sentence if found guilty again.
Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted on the tax charges, the Justice Department said, although such a stiff sentence would be highly unlikely.
(Reporting by Tom Hals and Jack Queen in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Howard Goller)
