Hunter Biden has been indicted on felony firearm charges in a federal court in Delaware.
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden has been indicted in a federal court in Delaware on felony gun charges.
Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (pdf) on Sept. 14 show that Hunter Biden was indicted on three counts in connection with allegations that he made false statements to a gun dealer and possessed a firearm while using drugs.
Two of the counts relate to allegations that Hunter Biden “knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement, intended and likely to deceive” a gun dealer when he sought to buy a firearm in October 2018.
He “provided a written statement on Form 4473 certifying he wasn’t an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious,” the indictment reads.
The third count relates to his possession of a Colt Cobra 38PL revolver while using and being addicted to drugs which, like the other two counts, is in violation of sections of Title 18 of the U.S. Code.
The most serious of the charges—counts one and three—carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release.
The indictment was signed by special counsel David Weiss, who was appointed to lead the investigation by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
According to a defendant information sheet (pdf), instructions were filed on Sept. 14 for a summons to be issued for Mr. Biden to make an initial court appearance, although no further details about a court date were provided.
There was no immediate response by his legal team to the indictment.
Mr. Biden’s attorney didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
An earlier deal under which Mr. Biden would have pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and agreed to take part in a program to avoid prosecution on gun-related charges collapsed at a July hearing in what was a stunning turn of events.
By Tom Ozimek
