Jury selection in Hunter Biden’s federal firearms trial begins Monday in Delaware as he faces three charges stemming from his alleged illegal purchase and possession of a firearm in 2018 while a drug user.
Biden was indicted by a federal grand jury in September following a diversion agreement on felony and misdemeanor charges plea deal related to felony tax charges, unraveled when U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned whether the agreement would allow him to avoid potential future charges.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers denounced the charges, arguing they were “unconstitutional” and “unprecedented,” and in violation of the diversion agreement that they said was still legally binding and valid.
A flurry of motions to dismiss filed by Biden’s lawyers were denied by Judge Noreika, and a federal appeals court in May rejected his request to dismiss the gun charge.
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The three indictments accuse the president’s son of making false statements on a federal firearms form about his drug use, stating that he was not a user or addict of any controlled substance during a period during which prosecutors allege he was addicted to crack. cocaine. Biden purchased a Colt Cobra .38 Special revolver, and it remained in his possession for 11 days before being discarded in an outdoor bin by Hallie Biden, Hunter Biden’s romantic partner at the time.
Prosecutors are expected to present evidence detailing Biden’s use of controlled substances leading up to and during the period he purchased the firearm. In their trial brief, they reference Biden’s own admission of drug addiction in excerpts from his memoir: Beautiful thingsas well as photos and videos from his laptop and text messages.
Prosecutors also plan to include testimony from Hunter Biden’s former romantic partners who talk about his substance abuse, including his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle and Hallie Biden, his late brother’s widow, Beau Biden, and expert testimony of FBI and DEA agents.
Hunter Biden’s attorneys are seeking to call their own expert witnesses in the fields of addiction, forensic psychiatry and forensic toxicology.
The suit was filed by Special Counsel David Weiss, who was appointed U.S. attorney for Delaware by former President Donald Trump and appointed special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2023. Federal investigations into Hunter Biden, led by Weiss, continued over the course of five years. both the Trump and Biden administrations.
Lawyers for Hunter Biden alleged that Weiss “succumbed to political pressure to file more serious charges” after the plea deal drew a “sharp rebuke” from former President Trump and his Republican allies when it was first made public. Weiss’ office denounced claims that the charges were fueled by politics and pursued to appease Republicans.
“The charges in this case were not concocted or the result of former President Trump – instead, they are the result of the defendant’s own choices and were filed despite, and not because of, any outside noise from politicians,” prosecutors said .
Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine if convicted on all counts.
In addition, he faces nine federal tax charges in the Central District of California in a second indictment filed by Weiss’ office, in which federal prosecutors allege President Biden’s son is involved in a “four-year scheme” to prevent him from receiving at least 1 have to pay $.4 million in federal taxes.
Hunter Biden is charged with three felonies and six misdemeanors related to his alleged failure to file and pay taxes, tax evasion and filing a false or fraudulent tax return. Biden has denied that he is guilty of these charges.
His requests to dismiss federal tax charges were all denied by U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi in April. If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison.
References to the tax charges or questions related to those charges or the plea hearing are not allowed in his federal weapons trial in Delaware.
