Hunter Biden Indicted on Gun-Related Charges by Special Counsel
Special counsel David Weiss has filed indictments against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, in connection with the
Nik Richie
Special counsel David Weiss has filed indictments against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, in connection with the purchase of a gun in 2018. The charges brought against Hunter Biden include making false statements on a federal firearms form and possession of a firearm as a prohibited person.
Initially, Hunter Biden had reached an agreement with Weiss to resolve the matter without facing charges. However, this arrangement unraveled over the summer following increased scrutiny from a federal judge and the collapse of a related tax agreement.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles stem from a firearm purchase he made in October 2018. During the purchase of a revolver at a Delaware gun shop, he falsely stated on a federal form that he was neither using nor addicted to any illegal drugs, despite struggling with crack cocaine addiction at the time.
Lying on the ATF form or possessing a firearm as a drug user constitutes a federal crime. Hunter Biden possessed the gun for approximately 11 days in 2018. Prosecutors had previously noted that the statute of limitations for some of these offenses was set to expire in October.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, had previously asserted that the earlier gun deal with prosecutors prevented additional charges from being filed and that his client had adhered to the conditions of release under that agreement. However, prosecutors maintained that the deal was never implemented.
Weiss has been leading the investigation into Hunter Biden since late 2018, focusing on potential felony tax evasion, illegal foreign lobbying, money laundering, and other matters related to Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings.
In June, it appeared that the investigation was winding down when Weiss announced a two-part agreement: Hunter Biden would plead guilty to two federal tax misdemeanors and enter a “diversion agreement” where the gun charge would be dropped in two years if he passed regular drug tests and avoided legal trouble.
However, these agreements faced intense scrutiny from the federal judge overseeing the case, leading to their collapse in July. Subsequent negotiations failed to reach an agreement, prompting Attorney General Merrick Garland to elevate Weiss to special counsel status in August, marking a significant escalation in the probe.
Apart from the gun-related charges, Weiss is still evaluating whether to bring tax-related charges against Hunter Biden. In a court filing last month, he indicated that “a trial is now in order” for the tax offenses, and he may consider bringing tax charges, potentially in California or Washington, D.C.