US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, will appear in federal court in Delaware on Tuesday (3/10). He is expected to plead not guilty to charges of illegal possession of a firearm.
Hunter, 53, faces three criminal charges stemming from the 2018 purchase of a Colt Cobra .38-caliber handgun.
Hunter was charged with two counts of making false statements, for stating on a gun purchase form that he was not taking illegal drugs at the time of the purchase.
Meanwhile, for the third charge, based on the same statement, he is accused of possessing the weapon illegally – which he only had for 11 days in October 2018 – before finally throwing it away.
Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has told the court that the president’s son plans to enter a not guilty plea at his arraignment hearing Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time in federal court in the city of Wilmington, the Biden family’s hometown.
Lowell had also asked Judge Christopher Burke to allow Hunter, who lives in California, to appear by video instead of in person, but the request was denied.
“The defendant should not receive special treatment in this matter,” Burke wrote in his ruling.
In July, Hunter’s deal with Federal Prosecutor David Weiss – which would have dropped the illegal possession of a firearm charge, as long as Hunter pleaded guilty to two tax charges and spared him prison time – fell through.
That led Weiss to file three criminal charges of illegal possession of a firearm against Hunter.
If convicted, Hunter could theoretically face up to 25 years in prison, although in practice the offense – if not accompanied by other charges – rarely carries a prison sentence. (rd/rs)