Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, has been found guilty of illegally possessing a firearm and lying about his drug use when purchasing it. The verdict makes him the first child of a sitting US leader to be convicted of a federal crime, and he now faces a potential prison sentence.
The 54-year-old is scheduled to return to court in September for a separate trial on tax charges, after a plea agreement that would have resolved both cases collapsed last summer. In December, a federal indictment alleged that Hunter failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes for the years 2016 to 2019.
Congressional Republicans have conducted impeachment hearings into President Biden over alleged influence-peddling by his son, but the inquiry has not uncovered evidence of wrongdoing. Hunter's personal struggles, including alcohol and drug abuse, have been widely publicised.
Hunter Biden has a history of addiction, beginning with alcohol as a teenager and cocaine in college. He was discharged from the US Navy Reserve in 2013 after testing positive for cocaine on his first day. His marriage to Kathleen Buhle ended in 2017 amid allegations of extravagant spending on drugs, alcohol, and prostitutes.
In 2019, a DNA test confirmed Hunter was the father of a child born to Lunden Alexis Roberts, an exotic dancer. He has settled a paternity suit and pays child support. President Biden was forced to acknowledge his seventh grandchild last summer amid media pressure.
Hunter's relationship with his brother's widow, Hallie Biden, ended after she testified that he introduced her to crack cocaine and bought drugs in her presence. His defence argued that the gun purchase in 2018 was an impulse buy, but prosecutors successfully proved his guilt.
