A jury in Wilmington, Del., found the 54-year-old son of President Biden guilty of three felony counts for lying on a federal firearms application, setting in motion what is considered to be a standard process in the District for a lawyer convicted of a felony.
The Court of Appeals’ disciplinary counsel sent a letter to Biden and his attorney Abbe Lowell late Monday informing them that the panel had received copies of the jury’s verdict form and determined that the offenses for which Biden was found guilty constituted a “serious crime” under the D.C. Bar’s licensing rules.
The case thrust the family’s darkest moments into the national spotlight and focused attention on Hunter Biden’s past drug use, which the jury concluded he had sought to conceal on the federal gun purchasing form. Biden stated falsely that he was not using or addicted to illegal drugs at the time and unlawfully possessed the gun for 11 days in 2018 while he was addicted to crack cocaine, the jury found.
Calls to Lowell seeking comment were not immediately returned.
According to the letter, Biden was “suspended immediately from the practice of law in the District of Columbia” pending further investigation into the case and a determination that it involved dishonesty or immorality as defined by the District’s bar licensing code. While the disciplinary counsel recommended the suspension, the judges have to accept the recommendation for the suspension to go into effect.
During the week-long trial, Biden’s defense lawyers argued that prosecutors did not offer a drug test or other concrete evidence that he was on drugs when he bought the gun or that he took drugs while the gun was in his possession. Prosecutors told the jury in closing arguments that they did not have to prove those details and that their responsibility was to show Biden knew he was a drug user and that he was addicted to them at the time of the October 2018 purchase.
The most serious charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, but as a first-time offender, Biden is poised to receive a lighter sentence.
