Last September, the 53-year-old became the first son of a serving US president to face criminal indictment
Cocaine residue found on a gun pouch belonging to US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter was instrumental in persuading a judge to proceed with gun-related charges against him, Politico has reported, citing federal prosecutors.
Back in September, Hunter Biden earned the dubious distinction of being the first-ever child of a sitting US president to be criminally indicted. The 53-year-old also faces a slew of tax-related charges.
Hunter Biden could be handed a maximum of 17 years behind bars if found guilty on all counts, according to a statement released last month by the Department of Justice and US Attorney David Weiss, the special counsel leading a long-running investigation into the president’s son.
The presidential scion’s trouble with the law has led Republicans to question Joe Biden’s own integrity and level accusations of corruption against the Democrat.
In its report on Tuesday, Politico cited prosecutors alleging that “investigators literally found drugs on the pouch where the defendant had kept his gun,” and that an FBI chemist had later identified the substance as cocaine.
Prosecutors have insisted that the “strength of the evidence against [Hunter Biden] is overwhelming,” dismissing his defense team’s claims that the charges are politically motivated.
They reportedly cited, among other things, the defendant’s admissions about his drug use, which he made in his 2021 memoir.
Hunter Biden previously pleaded not guilty to charges that he lied about his addiction when he filled out a form to purchase a gun back in October 2018.
Last month, the Department of Justice filed nine new charges against him, including failure to file and pay taxes, tax evasion, and filing a false return.
According to the authorities, the president’s son “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes,” spending “millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle,” that allegedly included drug addiction.
Officials also pointed out that Hunter Biden had “earned handsomely” while serving on the boards of Ukrainian industrial conglomerate Burisma, as well as a Chinese company, CEFC China Energy Co Ltd.
In December, the president’s son ignored a subpoena issued by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee investigating his father’s alleged involvement in his business dealings. The proceedings are part of an ongoing effort by the GOP to impeach President Biden.
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