Hunter Biden’s phone contained images of illicit drugs – US Justice Dept
Hunter Biden had images on his personal phone of “apparent” crack cocaine and other drug paraphernalia, around the time he was accused of lying about his use of illegal substances on a federal form ahead of an October 2018 firearm purchase, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday.
In a ten-page court filing, the DOJ shared drug-related images and text messages allegedly composed by Hunter Biden, the second son of US President Joe Biden, that prosecutors say were from April, November and December 2018.
In September, Biden was issued three charges of gun-related crimes by Special Counsel David Weiss. These included making false statements on a federal firearms form as well as the illegal possession of a gun as a prohibited person.
“Prior to October 12, 2018, the defendant took photos of crack cocaine and other drug paraphernalia on his phone,” the Justice Department filing reads. “Also prior to his gun purchase, the defendant routinely sent messages about purchasing drugs.”
The filing also states that Hunter Biden “messaged his girlfriend about meeting a drug dealer and smoking crack” on October 13 and 14 of 2018. His former partner Hallie Biden – previously the wife of his late brother Beau Biden – discarded the firearm on October 23, 2018, the DOJ said.
“Are you insane? This is no game,” one text message directed to Biden on October 23 says. “You’re being totally irresponsible and unhinged.”
The documents also note that the text messages were sent following “interactions with law enforcement.”
Additionally, the documents state that Biden acknowledged his status as “an addict” in messages in late 2018, writing in one text message in December that he will “f*ing get sober when I want to get f*ing sober.”
The details submitted by the DOJ in its filing appear to undermine a claim made by Hunter Biden in a federal background check that he was not addicted to drugs at the time of the October 2018 firearm purchase.
Last October, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to three federal gun charges weeks after a plea deal arranged with prosecutors collapsed. Under the terms of that agreement, Biden would have admitted guilt to misdemeanor tax charges in exchange for the firearm charges being dropped.
If convicted of all of the firearm charges, Hunter Biden could face a maximum term of 25 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000. However, his status as an alleged first-time offender in a non-violent crime would likely see his punishment be dramatically reduced, legal analysts have said.
