President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden may not be able to practice law in Washington, D.C. in the future, after a jury convicted him on felony gun charges last week, according to a new letter sent by disciplinary counsel in the district.
Last week, a jury in Wilmington, Delaware, found the first son guilty of three felony counts for lying on a federal firearms application, which constituted a “serious crime” under the District of Columbia’s Bar licensing rules. The Court of Appeal’s Disciplinary Counsel asked the D.C. Court of Appeals to mete out an appropriate punishment for the younger Biden based on Rule XI, which requires automatic suspension for any attorney found guilty of a felony, according to the Washington Post.
The disciplinary counsel said it made a determination that the crime involved dishonesty or immorality as defined by the District’s bar licensing code. There is little information available on the docket in the bar discipline case and no documents have been publicly filed. Judges on the Court of Appeals must accept the recommendation of its disciplinary panel in order for the law license suspension to take effect, according to the Post.
The Washington Examiner contacted Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell for comment.
Hunter Biden, 54, has been licensed to practice law in Washington, D.C., since 2007 under his full name Robert H. Biden. A search on DCbar.com lists his status as “active” and in “GOOD STANDING.”
The trial drew intense focus to the younger Biden’s past drug use, which the jury determined he sought to conceal on a federal gun purchasing form. Biden stated falsely that he was not using or addicted to illegal drugs at the time and unlawfully possessed a Colt Cobra handgun for 11 days in 2018 while he was addicted to crack cocaine, the jury found.
The most serious gun charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, but the first son may receive a lighter sentence due to his status as a first-time offender. The three charges combined carry a maximum sentence of 25 years behind bars.
Lowell’s reported receipt of the letter Monday came just hours after Hunter Biden’s attorney briefly filed a request for a new trial in the Delaware federal court only to retract the request abruptly without explanation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The first son is still expected to appeal the jury verdict, which would be considered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article stated Hunter Biden’s D.C. law license had been suspended based on a since-corrected report from the Washington Post.
