U.S. president, Joe Biden’s son has been found guilty of illegally buying a gun after hiding his drug use.
Hunter Biden, 54, was convicted of three firearm charges in the first criminal prosecution of a sitting US president’s child.
US Prosecutors had said he lied on a form when buying a Colt Cobra revolver gun in October 2018 by stating he was not a drug user or addict, despite having an addiction to crack cocaine at the time.
Biden pleaded not guilty to felony charges that included lying about his addiction when he filled out a government screening document for the revolver and illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days.
U.S. First Lady, Jill Biden was in the courtroom shortly after the verdicts – which came after the jury deliberated for about three hours and was seen holding her stepson’s hand as they left.
The trial included testimony from Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and sister-in-law, who gave accounts of his addiction in the weeks before and after buying the gun.
Prosecutors also showed text messages, photos and bank records they said showed Biden was deeply addicted to cocaine when he bought the gun.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers tried to show he was not using drugs when he bought the gun and didn’t intend to deceive as he didn’t consider himself a drug user at the time.
The defence called Hunter Biden’s daughter, Naomi Biden, who testified her father seemed to be doing well when she saw him shortly before and after he bought the gun.
President Joe Biden did not testify at the trial, which was held in the Bidens’ hometown of Wilmington in Delaware.
The sentencing guidelines for the gun-related charges are 15 to 21 months, but legal experts say defendants in similar cases often get shorter sentences.
The case comes after last month’s criminal conviction of Donald Trump, the first former US president to be found guilty of a crime.
