Federal prosecutors in Delaware have charged the son of US President Hunter Biden with three counts of illegal possession of weapons. Biden Jr. lied on his gun permit application about his drug use. Hunter Biden is the first son of a head of state to face federal charges, CNN reported.
According to the published document, two of the allegations are related to the fact that Hunter Biden lied by declaring on the form when purchasing a Colt Cobra revolver in 2018 that he did not use drugs. The third one concerns possession of a weapon while under the influence of prohibited substances. The president’s son Joe Biden he admitted that he was addicted to cocaine at the time.
Hunter BidenTING SHEN/EPA/PAP
The White House did not comment on the matter
Thursday’s charges are the result of the failure of a plea agreement with the prosecutor’s office, according to which Biden Jr. would have avoided charges if he had met the conditions set by the authorities for two years. As part of the plea agreement, he also had to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay taxes in exchange for a suspended sentence. However, the arrangement was rejected by a federal court in Delaware. The special prosecutor appointed to handle the case, David Weiss, suggested that he might bring additional charges against the president’s son.
According to CNN, Hunter Biden is the first son of a head of state to face federal charges. The White House has not commented on the case so far and consistently refuses to comment on matters related to the president’s son.
Main photo source: TING SHEN/EPA/PAP