Joe Biden has pardoned Hunter on tax and gun charges - but how did the cases against the president's son unfold?

2 December 2024, 03:09 | Updated: 2 December 2024, 05:30

President Joe Biden has issued a "full and unconditional" pardon for his son Hunter - just weeks before he was set to be sentenced.

Hunter, 54, was convicted of three firearm charges in June, marking the first criminal prosecution of a sitting US president's child.

Then, two months later, Hunter pleaded guilty to federal tax charges, having been due to stand trial on criminal charges of failing to pay $1.4m (£1.06m).

In a statement via the White House, President Biden said "there has been an effort to break Hunter" with the criminal cases against him, adding "enough is enough".

But how did the criminal cases against Hunter unfold?

How did the cases start?

Both cases stemmed from a period in Hunter's life in which he struggled with drug and alcohol abuse - before becoming sober in 2019.

Prosecutors alleged that during this time, Hunter bought a .38-calibre revolver in Wilmington, Delaware, asserting on a form that he was not using drugs.

Separately, prosecutors in California alleged that he failed to pay $1.4m (£1.1m) in taxes between 2016 and 2019 while spending millions on drugs and other expenses.

A month after Joe Biden was elected president in 2020, Hunter issued a statement acknowledging he was under investigation concerning "my tax affairs".

"I take this matter very seriously, but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers," he said at the time.

What happened next?

After several years of back-and-forth - where the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claimed there was improper interference in its investigation of Hunter - the president's son was ready to make a plea deal in the spring of last year.

His legal team and prosecutors agreed that in exchange for pleading guilty to misdemeanour tax charges and serving two years of probation, Hunter would avoid time in prison. A weapons charge would also have been dropped.

However, the plea deal collapsed after Delaware District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika - who was appointed by former president Donald Trump - raised concerns she was being asked to "just rubber stamp the agreement".

The president's son was subsequently indicted for both charges.

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What happened with gun charges?

The felony gun charge case saw Hunter face two charges over allegedly lying about his addiction when he filled out a government screening document for a revolver in October 2018, and one charge for illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days.

The case went to trial last summer, and on 11 June, Hunter was found guilty, marking the first criminal prosecution of a sitting US president's child.

Prosecutors said he lied on a form when buying a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018 by stating he was not a drug user or addict, despite having a problem with crack cocaine.

Special counsel David Weiss' office had not said whether prosecutors had planned to seek prison time - but the maximum sentence for the charges was up to 25 years in prison.

And what about the tax charges?

Hunter was set to stand trial the following September over tax evasion claims, with an indictment alleging he spent huge sums "on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature" between 2016 and 2019.

He faced three charges of felony tax offences for tax evasion and filing false returns, plus six misdemeanour counts.

Instead, Hunter pleaded guilty to all nine counts, saying at the time that it was clear prosecutors were focused "not on justice but on dehumanising me for my actions during my addiction".

He added he wanted to "protect" his family "from being publicly humiliated for his failures".

Judge Mark Scarsi told him he faced a maximum sentence of up to 17 years in prison and up to $450,000 (£354,646) in penalties.

The trial could also have brought his work with Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma into the spotlight, as the indictment stated Hunter "earned handsomely" while serving on its board. He denied any improper business dealings.

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Would Hunter have gone to prison?

Hunter was due to be sentenced on 12 December and 16 December for the gun and tax charges respectively.

While he could have faced prison time based on sentencing guidelines, it was unclear if he would be jailed.

Legal experts said defendants in similar gun charge cases often get shorter sentences and are also less likely to be imprisoned if they abide by pre-trial release terms.

Hunter also appealed against his conviction for gun charges - which could have increased the chances of him facing a stiffer sentence for the tax case, as he would have been a repeat offender.

Regardless, he will now avoid any time behind bars after he was issued a "full and unconditional pardon" by his father, the president.

(c) Sky News 2024: Joe Biden has pardoned Hunter on tax and gun charges - but how did the cases against the president's son unfold?