James Myers of OAN
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 9:07 AM
A Delaware jury found Hunter Biden guilty of three federal firearms charges.
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President Joe Biden’s son was indicted in federal court in Wilmington on three felony counts related to possessing a gun while under the influence of drugs. He has pleaded not guilty.
Two of the charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and the third by up to five years. Despite the maximum sentences, he could be sentenced to more than a year in prison, according to recommendations from federal sentencing guidelines, although a judge could impose a longer or shorter sentence.
Additionally, each charge carries a maximum fine of $250,000. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
The main focus of the trial is Biden’s October 12NumberProsecutors alleged that Biden lied on federal forms about not using drugs or being addicted when he purchased the firearm from StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in November 2018. The firearm remained in his possession for 11 days before Hallie Biden found it in the console of his Ford pickup truck and threw it in a public trash can outside a grocery store in Wilmington. Hallie Biden testified that she regretted throwing away the firearm and did so in a “panic state” because she was worried Hunter would use it to hurt himself or others.
The court also heard testimony from experts from the FBI and DEA, who described the man who found the gun in the trash, bank statements that showed Biden had withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash, and traces of cocaine found in the pouch that had contained Hallie Biden’s gun when she threw it away.
During the trial, jurors heard further testimony from Biden’s former girlfriend, Zoe Kestan, who met Biden at a New York City gentlemen’s club when he was 48 years old.
“The minute he woke up he wanted to smoke a cigarette,” Kestan testified last Wednesday.
Ms Kestan described Hunter as “charming and charismatic” when they first met for 30 minutes in a private room at a strip club in 2017. She noted she had not noticed any change in Hunter’s behaviour, even when he started smoking crack cocaine.
“I didn’t realise it and sometimes I think it was because I was doing him a favour,” she told the court.
Photographs shown during the trial supported Kestan’s testimony, and prosecution evidence showed crack pipes were commonly seen in the hotel rooms next to liquor and beer bottles. Jurors were also told during Kestan’s testimony that Biden learned how to make crack cocaine, and were shown photos of baking soda used to turn cocaine into crack in one hotel room.
Testimony at the trial became particularly tense when former gun store employee Jason Turner took the stand. Turner worked at the store the day Hunter Biden purchased his gun and was responsible for his background check. Turner was very candid and appeared frustrated when asked about the sequence of events that led to Hunter Biden selecting his gun on October 12.Number.
“You don’t understand what life is like in a gun shop,” Turner told Biden lawyer Abe Lowell, noting that people who frequent gun shops spend time discussing sports with the store staff.
During the trial, Lowell and Turner frequently interrupted each other, prompting presiding judge Maryellen Noreika to urge Turner to wait until Lowell had finished his questions before answering them.
“Go ahead and be mad at me,” Turner joked to a court reporter, drawing laughter in the courtroom.
“He was angry with me throughout the trial,” Lowell replied lightly.
Meanwhile, President Biden has the power to pardon his son. ABC News In an interview on June 6thNumber He won’t.
The case marks the first time in U.S. history that the child of a sitting president has been put on trial.
This is breaking news, check back for updates.
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