Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, October 3 to an illegal gun possession charge, even as his father, US President Joe Biden prepares for reelection next year.
Hunter Biden, 53, arrived in federal court in his family hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, and entered a not guilty plea to three felony charges stemming from his purchase of a .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver in 2018 when, he admitted he was heavily addicted to drugs and barely in control of his life.
Hunter Biden is charged with two counts of making false statements for claiming on forms required for the gun purchase that he was not using drugs illegally at the time.
He faces a third charge, based on the same statements, that he illegally possessed the gun — which he had for only 11 days in October 2018 before he got rid of it.
This isn’t Hunter’s only legal trouble, He faces. He faces accusations from Republican politicians that he engaged in corrupt business practices in China and Ukraine and it could distract his father’s political standing as he seeks a second term in 2024.
Republicans have opened an impeachment inquiry in Congress on what they claim is a Biden family criminal conspiracy .
In response to the scandal, Joe Biden has repeatedly said he stands by his son and loves him for his attempts to recover from drug addiction.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, had asked Judge Christopher Burke to allow Biden, who lives in California, to appear by video instead of in person but the request was denied.
“The defendant should not receive any special treatment in this matter,” Burke wrote in his ruling.
If convicted, Hunter Biden could face a maximum of 25 years in prison, though in practice such offenses, if not accompanied by other charges, are hardly punished by any jail time.
Hunter Biden is a lawyer and lobbyist-turned-artist, but his life story has been stained by alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction.
