Federal prosecutors asked a judge to deny Hunter Biden’s request to dismiss the gun charges against him, saying “the strength of the evidence against him is overwhelming.”
In their latest court motion, prosecutors filed the first photo of the Colt Cobra revolver at the center of the case. They also detailed some of the evidence they have on the president’s son and pushed back on claims that the prosecution was the result of political pressure.
“The charges in this case are not trumped up or because of former President Trump – they are instead a result of the defendant’s own choices and were brought in spite of, not because of, any outside noise made by politicians,” prosecutors wrote.
Special counsel David Weiss indicted Hunter Biden in September in federal court in Delaware on three counts tied to the possession of a gun while using drugs. Two of the counts involve allegations that he allegedly lied on a form attesting that he was not using illegal drugs when he bought a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver in October 2018. The third count alleges that he possessed a firearm while using illegal drugs.
The motion included a photo of the speed loader found with the gun and 25 cartridges of ammunition for it.
Prosecutors revealed they had evidence beyond Hunter Biden’s 2022 book: “Beautiful Things: A Memoir.” Investigators even found cocaine on the gun pouch.
“After the defendant’s then-girlfriend discovered and discarded his gun, and after he became aware that local authorities had seized his gun, speed loader, and ammunition, and after the defendant announced his awareness of a federal investigation of him in 2020, the defendant chose to author and sell a book in 2021 in which he made countless incriminating statements about his years-long drug usage, including during the time period he purchased and possessed the gun,” prosecutors wrote. “He recounted his interaction with a drug dealer who pointed a gun at him during a drug deal before he decided to buy his own gun. Investigators also obtained messages from his Apple iCloud account in which he discussed buying thousands of dollars’ worth of crack while also taking videos of himself weighing crack and smoking it. Furthermore, a chemist was able to confirm the presence of cocaine residue on the brown leather pouch in which defendant stored his firearm.”
Hunter Biden’s attorney has said Republican interference at the U.S. Department of Justice prompted the gun charges against President Joe Biden’s son.
Hunter Biden’s previous plea deal on gun and tax fraud charges fell apart in July after last-minute disagreements over the degree to which Hunter Biden could face future charges for other alleged crimes still possibly under investigation. That plea deal revolved around alleged tax crimes and a single gun charge. The new indictment includes three separate charges related to Hunter’s possession of the gun.
If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 10 years in prison on the first two counts and five years on the third count.