A jury in Wilmington, Delaware, found President Biden’s 54-year-old son guilty of three felony counts of lying on a federal firearms application, setting in motion a standard procedure for attorneys convicted of felony offenses in the District.
The appeals court’s disciplinary counsel sent a letter to Biden and his lawyer, Abe Lowell, late Monday. The jury received a copy of the verdict and found Biden guilty of the crimes This is considered a “serious crime” under the DC Bar Association’s licensing rules.
The case brought national attention to the family’s darkest moment and drew attention to Hunter Biden’s past drug use, which the jury concluded he tried to hide on his federal firearms purchase application. The jury found that Biden falsely represented that he was not using or addicted to illegal drugs at the time, and that he illegally possessed a gun for 11 days in 2018 while he was addicted to crack cocaine.
A call to Lowell seeking comment was not immediately returned.
According to the letter, Biden has been “immediately suspended from the practice of law in the District of Columbia” pending further investigation of the incident and a determination that it involves dishonest or immoral conduct as defined by the District’s bar eligibility rules. Disciplinary counsel recommended the suspension, but a judge must accept the recommendation for the suspension to take effect.
During the week-long trial, Biden’s defense team argued that the prosecution had not presented drug tests or specific evidence showing Biden was using drugs when he bought the gun or while he had the gun. In closing arguments, prosecutors told the jury they didn’t have to prove those details, but rather that their burden was to show they knew Biden was a drug user and addicted at the time of the October 2018 purchase.
The most serious charge carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years, but as a first-time offender, Biden is likely to receive a lighter sentence.
