Hunter Biden faces three charges, including making false statements on a federal firearms form and possessing a firearm as a prohibited person.
The allegation stems from a gun purchase in 2018. While purchasing the revolver in Delaware, Biden lied on a federal form, swearing that he was not using or addicted to any illegal drugs, even though he was battling crack addiction. at the time of purchase.
It is a federal crime to lie on the ATF form or possess a firearm as a drug user. He possessed the gun for 11 days in 2018.
If convicted on all charges, Biden could theoretically face up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000, according to court documents.
However, defendants rarely receive the maximum sentence, especially in cases like these, which involve nonviolent crimes and an alleged first-time offender.
The charges came after a failed deal: Last June, Weiss announced a two-pronged deal in which Biden would plead guilty to two federal tax misdemeanors and enter into a “diversion agreement” in which the gun charge would be dropped in two years if he passed tests. drug abuse and stayed out of legal trouble.
However, at a July 2023 hearing, the agreement collapsed after a judge said she had “concerns” about the parties appearing to link the tax filing agreement to the resolution of a felony possession charge. weapons. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss as special prosecutor the following month.
cnn marshall cohenKara Scannell, Hannah Rabinowitz and Holmes Lybrand contributed to this post.
