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U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika closed the case the week
before Hunter Biden was to be sentenced. He could have faced up
to 25 years in prison, though as a first-time offender he likely
would have gotten far less time or avoided prison entirely.
Prosecutors opposed dismissing the case, arguing in court
documents that a pardon shouldn't wipe away the case “as if it
never occurred." Hunter Biden was convicted on three felonies
after he lied on a federal form to purchase a gun in Delaware by
saying he wasn’t a drug user in 2018, a period when he has
acknowledged being addicted.
The Justice Department special counsel is also opposed to
dismissing a case filed in California after Hunter Biden failed
to pay $1.4 million in taxes. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi in
Los Angeles indicted he would dismiss the case once the pardon
is formally received. Still, Scarsi was critical of the
president's assertion that his son was singled out for political
reasons, saying two judges had rejected similar arguments from
his defense attorneys.
The president's Sunday decision to go back on previous pledges
and issue his son a blanket federal pardon for actions over the
past 11 years has sparked a political uproar in Washington,
drawing criticism from many Democrats as well as Republicans and
threatening to cloud Biden’s legacy as he prepares to leave
office on Jan. 20.
Hunter Biden was originally supposed to strike a plea deal with
prosecutors last year that would have spared him prison time,
but the agreement fell apart after Noreika questioned unusual
aspects of it.
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