Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, was formally charged on Thursday for the unlawful purchase of a firearm during a period of substance abuse.
This development has introduced a fresh concern that may impact his father’s upcoming reelection campaign.
Hunter Biden was charged with two counts of making fraudulent statements for allegedly claiming on forms required for the 2018 gun purchase that he was not illegally using drugs at the time.
A third allegation stated that he unlawfully possessed the firearm for eleven days in October based on the false statements.
In theory, if Biden is found guilty of all three offences, he could be sentenced to 25 years in prison, although the charges rarely result in jail time in practise.
At the time he purchased the Colt Cobra revolver, Biden “knew that this statement was false,” according to the Justice Department.
The indictment occurred two days after Republicans in Congress launched an impeachment investigation against Joe Biden, alleging that he benefited financially from his son’s international business transactions while serving as vice president.
The firearms charges were filed by Justice Department Special Counsel David Weiss, who has been investigating Biden since 2018 for a variety of allegations, the majority of which pertain to his international business dealings.