A federal judge in Delaware declined to dismiss gun charges against Hunter Biden, marking one of the two criminal cases against Joe Biden’s son as the Democratic U.S. president gears up for re-election. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika in Wilmington ruled against Hunter Biden’s request to dismiss two counts of lying about his use of illegal narcotics when he purchased a Colt Cobra handgun in 2018 and a third count of illegally possessing that weapon.
The ruling sets the stage for a trial on the gun charges, tentatively scheduled to commence on June 3 in Wilmington. Hunter Biden has entered a plea of not guilty. Special Counsel David Weiss brought the gun charges in September, making Hunter Biden the first child of a sitting president to face indictment. He could potentially face more than 20 years in prison if convicted on the gun charges.
Republican candidate Donald Trump, seeking to regain the presidency in the November 5 U.S. election, is confronting four criminal indictments of his own.
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Hunter Biden’s legal team contended that the gun charges should be dismissed for various reasons, including the likelihood that the law under which he was charged was unconstitutional after a 2022 Supreme Court ruling expanded gun rights and set a rigorous new test for determining the legality of firearms restrictions.
Additionally, Biden’s attorneys argued that Weiss was not properly appointed, that Hunter Biden was subject to selective prosecution, and that he had a binding agreement shielding him from prosecution.
Hunter Biden has also pleaded not guilty to federal tax crimes in a separate case brought by Weiss in California, where he could face up to 17 years in prison if convicted. That trial is slated to commence on June 20.
The special counsel accused Hunter Biden of neglecting to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019 while spending millions of dollars on drugs, escorts, exotic cars, and other high-end items. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi in Los Angeles rejected Hunter Biden’s motions to dismiss the tax indictment on April 1.
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