While President Joe Biden having rescinded his bid for re-election this November, his family remains caught in the spotlight and scrutiny of pending legal woes.
The sitting Democratic commander-in-chief—who has plenty of his own controversy—has faced additional criticism based on the actions of his son, Hunter. The younger Biden has gained national attention for his questionable business dealings in China, some of which has been speculated to have involved his father.
Hunter remains under investigation by the federal government for his sketchy business ventures and subsequent tax liability. Meanwhile, Special Counsel David Weiss—an appointee of former president and current GOP nominee Donald Trump—has successfully attained a separate conviction against Hunter.
And for that, he is going to be sentenced one week after the highly anticipated presidential election, from which his father recently and historically dropped out. The schedule was made via an August 2 court order from Judge Maryellen Noreika, who designated in writing that Hunter would be sentenced at Wilmington, Delaware’s J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on November 13.
As frequently occurs in the complex world of waging legal battles against high-profile citizens, the younger Biden was convicted of federal charges brought against him in a totally separate case. In June, he was deemed guilty of breaking national laws related to gun ownership and possession.
A federal jury in Delaware agreed that Hunter had committed three federal felonies, making him the first immediate family member of a president to be found guilty of a crime while their father was in office. The case involves Hunter’s purchase of a revolver in 2018.
Two counts against him accused him of lying in a federal background check about his drug use—a long known struggle with the president’s son—and the third count related to his possession of a firearm while addicted to illegal substances. The guilty verdict leaves him facing up to $750,000 in fines and up to 25 years in jail. However, the sentence is not expected to reach its peak since he is a first-time offender.
Previously, the sentencing was estimated to occur before Election Day which, at the time of the conviction, was still going to include President Biden on the ballot.
Last July, Hunter was given the opportunity to accept a so-called “sweetheart” plea deal. This agreement would have allowed him to plead guilty for evading taxes on his $1.5 million income between 2017 and 2018—amounting to two misdemeanor charges—in exchange for not pleading guilty to the federal gun charges and attending a diversion program instead.
But Judge Noreika refused to sign off on the deal, saying the terms were “not straightforward.” One of the concerns she had with the language of the agreement involved a stipulation that could have given Hunter immunity from being prosecuted for other tax-related crimes. She also said that she could not permit the defendant from accepting a deal while under the impression that he “has protection from something” when “he doesn’t.”
Hunter’s attorney declared the deal “null and void” when it was established that his client was not inherently protected from additional charges in his ongoing tax and business investigation. Weiss then indicted Hunter on federal gun charges the following September.
