Special counsel indicts Hunter Biden

If convicted on all counts, Hunter Biden could theoretically face as much as 25 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000, according to court filings. However, defendants very rarely get the maximum penalty, especially in cases like these, involving non-violent crimes and an alleged first-time offender.

The three-count indictment was handed up Thursday by a federal grand jury in Delaware, according to court filings. 

Court filings show that a summons was issued Thursday for Hunter Biden to appear in court for an initial appearance on the special counsel charges, though it is unclear when and where the initial appearance would take place. 

Hunter Biden is currently in California, a source familiar told CNN, adding that any plan for a self-surrender or initial appearance, including the date and location, still needs be worked out.

The White House was asked Wednesday for comment on the news that special counsel David Weiss has indicted Hunter Biden on gun charges.

A spokesperson referred questions to the Justice Department and Hunter Biden’s personal representatives, “given this is an independent investigation.”

Hunter Biden’s gun-related legal troubles relate to a firearm he purchased in October 2018.

While buying a revolver at Delaware gun shop, he lied on a federal form when he swore that he was not using, and was not addicted to, any illegal drugs – even though he was struggling with crack cocaine addiction at the time of the purchase.

It’s a federal crime to lie on that ATF form or to possess a firearm as a drug user. (Hunter Biden possessed the gun for about 11 days in 2018.) Prosecutors have previously said the statute of limitations for some of these offenses is set to expire in October.

Special counsel David Weiss has been leading the Hunter Biden investigation since late 2018. Over the years, his team investigated potential felony tax evasion, illegal foreign lobbying, money laundering and other matters, largely tied to Hunter Biden’s overseas business deals.

President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has been indicted by special counsel David Weiss on gun charges.

Read the full document below:

Special counsel David Weiss has indicted President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, in connection with a gun he purchased in 2018. 

The charges include making false statements on federal firearms form and possession of a firearm as a prohibited person.  

Hunter Biden had previously reached a deal with Weiss to resolve the matter without charges, but that deal collapsed over the summer amid scrutiny from a federal judge and after a related tax deal unraveled. Weiss said in court filings last week that an indictment in the gun case was coming soon. 

This is the first time in US history that the Justice Department has filed charges against the son of a sitting president.

David Weiss, the Trump-appointed US attorney who has been investigating Hunter Biden, was given special counsel status just over a month ago.

The special counsel designation, which gave Weiss more powers than a typical US attorney, came after plea talks between the Justice Department and the president’s son fell apart.

In a two-pronged agreement, Hunter Biden planned to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and prosecutors would drop a separate felony gun charge in two years if he stayed out of legal trouble and passed drug tests. Federal prosecutors also agreed to recommend probation, and no jail time, for Hunter Biden.

But at a court hearing in July, the deal nearly collapsed under scrutiny from the federal judge overseeing the case. District Judge Maryellen Noreika said the intertwined deals to resolve the tax and gun charges were “confusing,” “not straightforward,” “atypical” and “unprecedented.”

“After the hearing, the parties continued negotiating but reached an impasse,” prosecutors wrote. “A trial is therefore in order.”

By naming Weiss as a special counsel, Garland gave him further independence from the Justice Department as he embarks on an unprecedented trial against the son of the sitting president, and as Republicans claim the department is politicized.

A senior Justice Department official said Weiss will write a report, which the attorney general is expected to publicly release when the probe is over.