United States federal prosecutors have officially brought forth indictments against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, for alleged gun-related violations, as revealed in court documents.
Africa Today News, New York learned that Hunter Biden was indicted on Thursday in a Delaware federal court, where he was charged with three counts associated with possessing a firearm and narcotics use.
The indictment includes two counts specifically related to Biden’s purported misrepresentation on a form he completed while acquiring a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018, asserting that he was not using illegal drugs.
Reports also stated that the third count specified in the indictment contends that Hunter Biden was in possession of a firearm while under the influence of a narcotic.
The indictment said Biden certified on a federally mandated form ‘that he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious.’
The report indicates that two of the charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years each, whereas the third count is a maximum term of five years.
Read also: Tax Charges: Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty, Deal Fails
The historic indictment of the sitting president’s son has materialised in the wake of the dissolution of a potential plea deal, which might have brought an end to the long-standing probe surrounding Hunter Biden. Concurrently, US House Republicans have initiated an impeachment inquiry to secure access to the president’s and his son’s bank records and related documents.
Special counsel David Weiss, who was in charge of the investigation, is now overseeing the case.
Weiss, originally appointed by Trump, continued serving as the US attorney for Delaware due to the Justice Department’s intricate investigation into the president’s son. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland designated Weiss as special counsel in August after negotiations regarding tax and gun charges fell apart.
When approached by NBC News on Thursday before the unsealing of the indictment, Weiss chose not to provide any comments regarding the investigation.
According to a source knowledgeable about the matter, Weiss initiated the investigation in 2018, a year before Joe Biden declared his presidential candidacy. The inquiry was centered on the financial aspects of the younger Biden.
In July, both parties arrived at a plea agreement, stipulating that Hunter Biden would plead guilty in Delaware federal court to two misdemeanor charges of tax evasion. In exchange, prosecutors would suggest a probationary sentence.
Furthermore, a separate felony gun charge, concerning the illegal possession of a Colt Cobra .38 Special handgun, would have been dismissed in two years if Biden adhered to the conditions of a diversion agreement.
The plea agreement started to crumble during the court hearing where it was meant to be officially endorsed, due to the presiding judge’s reservations about specific particulars.
‘The agreements are not straightforward and they contain some atypical provisions,’ US District Judge Maryellen Noreika said, including one that could theoretically protect Biden from other tax-related crimes in the same time period.