Hunter Biden’s federal gun crimes trial got underway Monday in Delaware with jury selection, kicking off a hearing that is sure to garner national attention in the coming days and weeks.
Here are some important facts to know about the upcoming trial.
1. Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison
Hunter is charged with one count of making a false statement in connection with the purchase of a firearm, one count of making a false statement in connection with information required to maintain a firearms dealer license, and one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user or intoxicated person of a controlled substance.
If convicted of all charges, he faces up to 25 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 on each count and three years probation.
Judge bars prosecutors from using salacious evidence in Hunter Biden gun trial
Hunter Biden’s federal gun crimes trial began in Delaware on Monday, kicking off proceedings that are sure to garner national attention in the coming days and weeks. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
According to the indictment, Hunter Biden purchased a Colt Cobra revolver on Oct. 12, 2018, and “knowingly made false written statements with the intent and likelihood to deceive dealers regarding facts material to the lawfulness of the sale of firearms…He certified that he was not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, any stimulants, narcotics or other controlled substances, when in fact he knew the statements were false and fictitious.”
2. Hunter’s defense hinges on drug addiction.
Hunter’s charges are based on the allegation that he was a drug addict at the time he purchased the firearms, and prosecutors do not need to prove that he was actually using drugs at the time.
Fox News legal analyst Greg Jarrett appeared on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning and summarized Hunter’s “crazy” defense plan.
“The best witness against Hunter Biden is Hunter Biden,” Jarrett said. “I mean, [he] “He wrote a book detailing how he was a drug addict at the time he bought his guns, then allegedly lied about it and incriminated himself. It is incredibly foolish to make money selling a book about addiction when you know you are under criminal investigation for addiction-related crimes.”
Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to tax charges brought by special counsel David Weiss
President Biden has not spoken about it, even as his son’s trial has begun. (Hannah Beyer/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
Jarrett said Hunter’s main defense rests on his drug addiction and denial of rehabilitation, with an alternative defense that he was so addicted to drugs that he didn’t knowingly commit any wrongdoing. Hunter’s father has also advocated for stricter gun control, but the defense may also raise Second Amendment challenges.
Hunter Biden is in court in Delaware. Here’s what he doesn’t want the jury to hear.
“His father is no secret that he is against the Second Amendment,” Jarrett said, “and while he may make exceptions for his own son, he has always advocated for strict gun control. So this is a crazy defense.”
3. Hunter’s family is also attending the trial.
First Lady Jill Biden, Hunter Biden’s mother-in-law, attended the first day of the trial on Monday, along with Hunter Biden’s sister, Ashley Biden.
Hunter Biden arrived at the courthouse holding hands with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden.
President Biden, Hunter Biden’s father, has not announced plans to attend the hearing.
4. The judge barred prosecutors from using salacious evidence.
The judge in Hunter’s case ruled that prosecutors could not use salacious evidence in his trial, including from his discharge from the U.S. Navy and from his child support case in Arkansas for his illegitimate daughter.
Judge Maryellen Noreika said the government could use portions of Hunter Biden’s book discussing drug addiction.
Hunter Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, arrive at the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware on June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Prosecutors do not plan to bring up Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop in its entirety, which was leaked just before the 2020 presidential election, but they may present specific information. Judge Noreika ruled that Hunter Biden’s team can question parts of the laptop in front of the jury.
In what’s called a “preliminary motion,” Hunter Biden asked the court to “exclude references to the Arkansas child support case and his discharge from the Navy,” which concerns his fathering a child out of wedlock with former stripper Landen Roberts.
5. This isn’t Hunter’s only criminal trial.
Gun charges aren’t the only criminal charges against Hunter, his eldest son also faces federal tax charges in California.
Hunter is due to appear in federal court in Los Angeles this month on tax evasion charges that stem from a years-long investigation by special counsel David Weiss.
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Weiss filed suit against Hunter Biden in December, alleging a “four-year scheme” in which the president’s son did not pay federal income taxes between January 2017 and October 2020 and also filed false tax returns.
Hunter has pleaded not guilty to all charges in connection with the incident and his trial is scheduled to begin on June 20th.
