A first in the United States: Hunter Biden, son of the president, found guilty of illegal possession of firearms

Hunter Biden risque jusqu’à 25 ans de prison. MAXPPP – Aaron Schwartz

Le fils de l’actuel président des États-Unis, Hunter Biden, a été jugé ce mardi 11 juin 2024, coupable par la justice américaine pour détention illégale d’armes à feu en 2018. Une affaire épineuse qui intervient alors que son père Joe Biden est en pleine campagne présidentielle.

This is not the first time that the 54-year-old man is at the heart of a legal case. This time, Hunter Biden was found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm in Wilmington, Delaware in the United States. The facts date back to 2018.

A speedy trial

As noted by the BBC, the Wilmington Courthouse experienced a first in the history of the United States- United. This is the first criminal conviction against the child of an American president still in office.

Hunter Biden was found guilty of all three charges against him. Two of them concerned lies in the forms required to purchase a firearm. He had falsely declared that he did not use drugs, but at that time, the president's 81-year-old son was addicted to crack. Several sources, including his ex-girlfriend, testified to this effect.

According to The New York Times, this is a verdict that took "everyone runs", reminding that no one is above the law. Indeed, President Biden has made it known that he will not pardon his son and has even kept his distance from the trial. However, he gave his support by saying "that he is very proud of the man he is today".

Heavy sentence ahead ?

The culprit faces up to "twenty-five  years behind bars, even if the length of a possible prison sentence will undoubtedly be much lower than this maximum sentence", recalls The Wall Street Journal. Hunter Biden is also scheduled to appear on tax fraud charges in September 2024.

One thing is certain, whether on the Republican side with the multiple trials targeting Donald Trump, or on the Democratic side with the recent accusations concerning Joe Biden's son, this duel between the two candidates will have been punctuated by numerous legal cases. It remains to be seen which camp will be least impacted during the election verdict, scheduled for the night of November 5, 2024.