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Hunter Biden is indicted on three federal gun charges after plea deal fell apart and as probe into his finances ramps up
HUNTER Biden has been indicted on federal gun charges months after his plea deal with prosecutors fell apart.
was indicted in a federal courtroom in on Thursday on three counts of owning a firearm while being an active drug user in 2018.
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The younger Biden was hit with one count of false statement in the purchase of a firearm, one count of false statement to information required to be kept by federal firearms licensed dealer, and one count of possession of a firearm by an active drug user.
The two counts of making false statements carry sentences of up to 10 years and five years, respectively.
The gun charge possession carries a sentence of up to 10 years.
Hunter could go on trial next year during the 2024 presidential election.
"Now that Hunter Biden has been indicted how many mins till Biden's corrupt DOJ [Department of Justice] drops another Trump indictment to change the narrative?" wrote on X, previously known as .
"It's nice to see something happen, though this is likely the excuse DOJ will use to pretend they're fair when they give him a slap on the wrist!"
House Oversight Committee Chairman Republican Senator James Comer called the indictment a "very small start" unless prosecutors investigate "everyone involved in the fraud schemes."
"The Justice Department's sweetheart plea deal fell apart after a federal judge refused to rubberstamp it," James wrote on X.
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"Mountains of evidence reveals that Hunter Biden likely committed several felonies and Americans expect the Justice Department to apply the law equally.
"Today's charges are a very small start, but unless US Attorney [David] Weiss investigates everyone involved in the fraud scheme and influences peddling, it will be clear President Biden's DOJ is protecting Hunter Biden and the big guy."
HUNTER'S PLEA DEAL FALLS APART
The shocking indictment comes months after his deal with federal prosecutors fell apart during a court hearing in July.
In June, the two sides reached an agreement regarding two misdemeanor and a gun charge against the president's son.
The deal meant federal officials would not charge Hunter with the more serious gun charge in exchange for a guilty plea to the two misdemeanor crimes.
The parties were set to resolve the matter during a hearing in July before Judge Maryellen Noreika raised concerns about the terms.
Judge Noreika pressed federal prosecutors about the deal, sparking a disagreement over the gun charge Hunter faces.
The dispute came after Judge Noreika asked federal prosecutors if the agreement meant Hunter would be immune from prosecution for other possible crimes.
Both prosecutors and the defense disagreed about the agreement's terms, insisting that Hunter's guilty plea encompass immunity from any other criminal charges.
When asked if the Department of Justice's investigation was ongoing, prosecutor David Weiss said it was but did not share further details.
Judge Noreika questioned the plea deal's constitutionality, specifically the diversion clause, and the immunity Hutner would've received.
The July hearing ended with Judge Noreika not ruling on any agreement, repeatedly saying she felt she was being asked to "rubberstamp" the deal.
"I'm not going to say I'm going to accept the agreement, I'm not going to say I'll deny it," she said at the time.
FEDS LAUNCH A PROBE
The initial agreement between Hunter and federal prosecutors aimed to end a five-year probe prompted by the Donald Trump-era Justice Department in 2018.
The investigation was tasked to examine whether Hunter violated money laundering and foreign lobbying laws with his overseas business dealings.
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Federal investigators also looked into Hunter's unpaid taxes and lavish spending during his drug addiction struggles.
President 's troubled son has previously admitted openly about his addiction to cocaine during the years in which the tax and gun crimes occurred.
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