The first son of President Biden, Hunter Biden, is set to go on trial on June 3 in a Delaware federal case where he is accused of illegally owning a gun while addicted to drugs. Federal prosecutors are planning to use electronic records from Hunter’s “laptop from hell” as evidence in the case. These records include messages referencing the need for more “chore boy” to smoke crack cocaine, as well as photos and videos of Hunter with a crack pipe. The feds claim they have over 18,000 pages of electronic records related to Hunter that they plan to present in a chart for the jury.
The messages found on Hunter’s devices use the term “chore boy” in the same context as described in his book “Beautiful Things: A Memoir.” In the book, Hunter explains that a Chore Boy is a spun-copper scouring pad that drug addicts use as a screen to hold crack in their pipes. Prosecutors also want to include messages between Hunter and his former sister-in-law turned lover, Hallie Biden, that were sent from Hunter’s ex-wife’s phone and not synced to his iCloud account. Hunter’s legal team has expressed concerns about the introduction of certain contents at trial, such as inflammatory text messages, on the grounds that they could be prejudicial to their client.
In addition to the gun-related charges, Hunter Biden also faces tax evasion charges in Los Angeles. Prosecutors claim that Hunter lied on a form when he purchased the gun by denying he was addicted to drugs, despite admitting to being addicted to crack cocaine in his 2021 memoir. If convicted on all counts, Hunter could face up to 25 years in prison. Hunter had previously been on track to plead guilty in the gun case, but the deal fell through after prosecutors could not guarantee he would not face charges in the tax case.
Hunter’s legal team also plans to object to some of the laptop evidence being shown in court, asserting that the hard drive had been hacked and incriminating evidence was planted there. However, prosecutors maintain that they can authenticate and prove the digital evidence they plan to present is taken directly from Hunter’s own devices. The upcoming trial is expected to include evidence such as messages, photos, and videos related to Hunter’s drug use and ownership of the gun. Despite the legal challenges Hunter is facing, he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
