A jury in Wilmington, Del., found President Biden's 54-year-old son guilty of three felony counts of lying on a federal firearms application, triggering a standard procedure in the District for an attorney convicted of a felony.
The appeals court disciplinary counsel sent a letter late Monday to Biden and his lawyer, Abbe Lowell They were informed that the panel had received copies of the jury verdict form and determined that Biden was guilty of the crimes of which he was convicted. This was considered a “serious offense” under the D.C. Bar’s licensing rules.
The case brought the family's darkest moments into the national spotlight and focused on Hunter Biden's past drug use, which the jury concluded he tried to hide on a federal gun purchase form. The jury found Biden lied that he was not using or addicted to illegal drugs at the time and illegally possessed a gun for 11 days in 2018 while he was addicted to crack cocaine.
A call to Lovell seeking comment was not immediately returned.
According to the letter, Biden is “immediately suspended from practicing law in the District of Columbia” pending further investigation of the matter and a determination that it involved dishonesty or unethical conduct as defined by the District's bar licensing code. While disciplinary counsel recommended the suspension, judges must accept the recommendation for the suspension to take effect.
During the weeklong trial, Biden's defense attorneys argued that prosecutors did not present a drug test or other concrete evidence that he was using drugs when he bought the gun or had it in his possession. Prosecutors told the jury in closing arguments that they did not need to prove those details and that their burden was to show that Biden knew he was a drug user and was addicted to them at the time of the purchase in October 2018.
The most serious charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, but Biden could receive a lighter sentence because it is a first-time offender.