A new court document made by Hunter Biden’s defense team indicates that their client intends to enter a not guilty plea to the federal firearms charges against him. Hunter Biden is the son of former Vice President Joe Biden. The attorneys for Hunter Biden have requested that his initial appearance in court be held through the use of a video conference.
Abbe Lowell, the attorney for Hunter Biden, wrote a letter to the court in which she indicated that they are responding to the order issued by the court and are seeking that the initial appearance be conducted over a video conference. Additionally, Lowell added that Hunter Biden will be pleading not guilty to the charges.
Concerns about the safety of Hunter Biden, who is protected by the Secret Service, played a role in the decision to conduct the initial visit by video conference rather than in person. In order to carry out the appearance in person, a considerable security presence, consisting of a large number of agents and cars, would be required for what might be a short process.
Federal authorities have filed charges against Hunter Biden in connection with false claims he allegedly made on a handgun purchase application. The allegations originate from an event that took place in October 2018, when Hunter stated he did not use any drugs in order to obtain a firearm, despite the fact that he later admitted in his memoir that he was addicted to crack cocaine at the time. The accusations result from this incident.
The charges may result in substantial jail terms, with two counts carrying a maximum of 10 years and the third offence carrying a maximum of 5 years. This new move follows the collapse of a plea bargain that, had it been fulfilled, would have allowed Hunter Biden to participate in a diversion program instead of being sentenced to time served in jail.
These judicial actions add another degree of complication to the high-profile Biden family, garnering attention from the public as well as the media on the subject.