Are Convicted Felon Hunter Biden's Legal Woes About to Get 'Much More Serious'? Jonathan Turley Says Yes

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

By now, all of America is aware that Hunter Biden was found guilty on Tuesday by a jury of his peers on the three federal felony charges he faced, including lying to a federally licensed firearms dealer and illegally possessing a firearm while on narcotics. 

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RELATED: BREAKING: Jury Finds Hunter Biden Guilty on All Counts


Yeah, so what comes next?

Joe Biden's wayward son faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, but the federal sentencing guideline for illegally possessing a firearm, Hunter's most serious offense, is 15-21 months, although most offenders get less time. Moreover, as a first-time offender convicted of a non-violent (gun crime) crime, he could also avoid jail time altogether. 

As for sentencing, defendants found guilty in Delaware federal court are typically sentenced within 120 days of conviction, which would place Hunter's no later than a month before the November 5 election.

Hunter's Sentencing Likely to Be the Least of His Legal Woes to Come

George Washington University Law School professor and Fox News legal analyst Jonathan Turley believes Hunter's guilty verdict on felony weapons charges changes the equation with respect to his more serious criminal cases to come — along with his "perjury" before Congress. Turley told Fox News:

His counsel has got to refocus on that tax case, they are going into that case now with a convicted felon. Now, these are very different types of claims, but there is a third front developing. Congress just referred what I consider to be a very strong case for a perjury investigation of Hunter Biden after his testimony before Congress.

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While Turley thinks crooked-as-hell Attorney General Merrick Garland is "going to basically scuttle that referral," the legal expert says it would be a problem. 

But the problem is that the House seems to have Hunter Biden dead to rights … on those perjury claims. It is hard to see how what he said before Congress was true. It is a much more serious offense. It is currently sitting on the desk of Merrick Garland.

It may be "hard to see," Professor Turley, but, after all, Merrick Garland is Merrick Garland.

Turley told Fox that the allegations in Hunter's tax case are “much more serious” and could be enhanced now that he's a convicted felon.

As for Hunter Biden, this may prove the least of his problems, you know, the chances that he goes to jail, probably are low, but I would not dismiss them. The problem with a jury nullification strategy is it can tick off a judge. 

This was a case of overwhelming evidence, and it seemed pretty clear to everyone that the defense was going for a nullification. That may not sit well with the judge. But even if she imposed jail time, it would be relatively short, the tax case, not so much. That is a much more serious set of allegations where jail time can be more substantial.

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So now that Hunter has been convicted and perhaps has far more serious legal woes to come, what impact does "justice being served" to the former crackhead have on the dynamics of the presidential campaign and, ultimately, the election itself? Good question — which we can't answer other than by opinion. 

Former President Donald Trump's campaign was among those more than happy to offer an opinion. Campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement

This trial has been nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family, which has raked in tens of millions of dollars from China, Russia and Ukraine. Crooked Joe Biden’s reign over the Biden Family Criminal Empire is all coming to an end on November 5th, and never again will a Biden sell government access for personal profit.

While I don't dispute Leavitt's claim, it missed the mark with specific respect to a presidential election that's less than five months away. 

Of course the Biden Family Business is crooked as hell. The objective among us have known that from the outset. But ironically, Hunter's conviction gives Biden and the Democrats — and their sock puppets in the media — a (false) narrative with which to counter Trump's claim that his Manhattan criminal trial was "rigged." It allows them to (falsely) claim that Hunter's guilty verdict proved "the justice system works."

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RELATED: If Democrats Think the 'Convicted Felon' Trope Is Going to Help Them Beat Trump, They Deserve to Lose


Please understand: I don't agree with a lick of the above. Then again, I'm not a low-information, rank-and-file, Democrat voter who buys everything the worst president in U.S. history and his acolytes in media sell, hook, line, and sinker. 

And now, Team Biden and the corrupt media have even more lies to peddle.

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