The judge overseeing the federal gun case against Hunter Biden’s eldest son has ordered that search warrants used in the two parentage investigations must be made public.
US District Judge Maryellen Norieka of Delaware granted a request on Friday to unseal four search warrants used in special counsel David Weiss’ investigation into the illegal gun possession and tax fraud case against the now 53-year-old man.
The warrant likely sheds light on the legal basis the feds had for seizing Biden’s electronic devices, as well as the evidence used to build two criminal cases against him.
The warrant was referenced in court papers earlier this month by Weiss’ office as it argued against Hunter’s efforts to drop the charges — prompting a freelance reporter to ask them to unseal.
Neither Biden’s defense team nor Weiss’ office objected to the records being released. It was not immediately clear when the document would be accessible.
A judge has ordered the search warrant used in the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden to be unsealed. AP
The two warrants date from August 29, 2019 and July 10, 2020, and were obtained by tax authorities and the FBI to view Hunter Biden’s Apple iCloud account. A third search warrant was obtained on Dec. 13, 2019, to examine the eldest son’s famous laptop.
The fourth warrant was obtained on December 4 last year and was used to collect electronic evidence in connection with the firearms case — almost three full months after the charges against the eldest son were unsealed.
Hunter Biden faces three gun-related felony charges for allegedly lying about his drug addiction when he bought a gun five years ago.
The feds claim they found cocaine in a bag containing one of Hunter Biden’s guns. US District Court of Delaware
He was also indicted on multiple charges in Los Angeles last month for allegedly evading $1.4 million in federal taxes between 2016 and 2019.
The cases were brought against the younger Biden after a no-jail-free plea deal unexpectedly fell through during a July court hearing.
Biden’s lawyers asked Noreika in December to drop the weapons charges against him, claiming the prosecution violated an earlier agreement between the troubled eldest son and the feds.
Hunter Biden allegedly lied about his drug use when he applied for the gun.
Weiss’ office responded in scathing court papers on January 16, claiming their case that Biden was on drugs when he got his gun and lied about it on a background check form was strong — with investigators finding traces of cocaine powder on the holster of a Colt Cobra 38SPL pistol, which was discarded by her sister-in-law-turned-lover Hallie Biden in a dumpster behind a Delaware grocery store in October 2018.
“Investigators did find drugs on the pouch where the defendant kept his gun,” the prosecutor said.
Hunter also admitted in his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things” that he was addicted to crack cocaine at the time of the gun drama, the feds said.
A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment Monday, while Biden’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
