Hunter Biden has been convicted on Tuesday of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a gun, as a jury found him guilty of lying on a mandatory purchasing form when he said he wasn't illegally using or addicted to drugs.
Concretely, he was charged with two felony counts of making a false statement related to the purchase of a firearm and a third count of illegally possessing a gun while being an unlawful user of drugs. The jury reached the verdict after only three hours of deliberation on Monday and Tuesday morning.
The crimes carry sentences of up to 25 years in prison, although first-time offenders don't usually get anywhere near the maximum, according to The Associated Press.
Biden's lawyers sought to show he was trying to turn his life around at the time of the purchase, having finished a rehabilitation stint. Three witnesses, including daughter Naomi, said he was seemingly getting better before buying the gun. They added that no one saw him using drugs during the 11-day period in which he had the gun before his brother Beau's widow, Hallie, found the gun and threw it in a trash can.
Prosecutors, in turn, resorted to testimonies from Hunter's ex-wife and former girlfriends, as well as photos seeking to convey he knowingly lied in the form. "He knew he was using drugs. That's what the evidence shows. And he knew he was addicted to drugs. That's what the evidence shows," prosecutor Leo Wise told jurors in his closing argument Monday.
No sentencing date has been scheduled at the moment, the judge said after the verdict was read. According to NBC News, he looked straight at the jury and nodded slightly when found guilty. First Lady Jill Biden missed the reading but was present at the courthouse.
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