A jury handed down its verdict Tuesday in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial in Wilmington, Del., finding the president’s 54-year-old son guilty of all three crimes stemming from the 2018 gun purchase.
After just three hours of deliberation, the 12-member panel concluded that the prosecution had proven that Biden lied about his addiction to crack when he applied to purchase the firearm and that he had the gun illegally in his possession for 11 days.
He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine.
What happened during the trial?
The jury deliberations began Monday after closing arguments after the defense rested without calling Biden to testify.
A total of 13 witnesses testified during the six-day trial, including Biden’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, and two of his former romantic partners, including Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden.
Prosecutors argued that Biden knew about his drug addiction at the time he filled out the federal application to purchase a firearm. They used audio clips from Biden’s 2021 memoir, in which he described his addiction around the time he bought the gun.
“The defendant knew he was using crack and was addicted to crack at the time,” prosecutor Leo Wise told the jury during closing arguments.
Hunter Biden’s lead attorney, Abbe Lowell, argued that the prosecution had to prove that the president’s son knew he was breaking the law when he bought a gun, and that she failed to do so.
“With this very high burden, it is time to end this case,” Lowell said.
What was the White House’s response to the verdict?
There was no immediate response from the White House. First lady Jill Biden, who attended Hunter Biden’s trial one day after, was back in court on Tuesday. President Biden did not. But in a recent interview with ABC’s David Muir, the president said he would accept the jury’s verdict and ruled out the possibility of a pardon for his son.
