As Hunter Biden’s historic gun trial got underway Monday in Wilmington, Delaware, all eyes will be on the Trump-appointed judge hearing the case: Judge Maryellen Noreika.
Politico reported this on Sunday that last month Noreika doubled the recommended sentence of a defendant who pleaded guilty to a similar gun crime.
On May 2, Noreika ruled that defendant Zhi Dong should receive a year in prison – not the six months prosecutors had suggested.
Dong was accused of lying on government forms about his address when he bought guns in Delaware.
He purchased 19 handguns and 10 lower receivers in Delaware using a Newark, Delaware address and a Delaware driver’s license from several federal firearms licensees in the state.
Trump-appointed Judge Maryellen Noreika (left) is presiding over Hunter Biden’s (right) firearms case in Delaware. She recently doubled the sentence of another defendant who lied on firearms forms and said he was a Delaware resident when he actually lived in Maryland.
One of the gun shop’s owners contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “due to concerns regarding the quantity and price of the firearms and due to the suspect’s alleged eagerness to retrieve the firearms,” according to court filings documents.
Shortly after purchasing the firearms, Dong traveled to California in a rental car with another person, left the weapons at a gun store in California and then flew back to the East Coast.
When questioned by authorities, Dong admitted that he was not a Delaware resident. He also admitted to transporting firearms to California.
Law enforcement officers were able to recover 28 of the 29 weapons.
Dong was charged with making false statements during the purchase of a firearm and pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors argued that six months in prison was sufficient because while Dong’s conduct was “serious and indicative of firearms trafficking,” he also had no prior criminal record.
“His only encounter with police appears to have been traffic related and was dismissed,” the court papers said.
Security stands outside the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware, where Hunter Biden’s gun trial began Monday. The first son will appear before a judge appointed by Trump but approved by Delaware’s two Democratic senators
They also noted that Dong could legally own guns and pointed out that he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors also noted that the person who accompanied Dong to California “was the mastermind of this operation.”
“Due to the nature and circumstances of this offense, as well as the defendant’s personal history and characteristics, the government states that a sentence of six months – which represents a downward departure from the range of the sentencing guidelines – is sufficient, but not greater than necessary is to accomplish. the purpose of the conviction,” prosecutors said.
Noreika disagreed and decided to sentence him to a year in prison.
Peter Tilem, a Manhattan attorney who has handled several gun cases, suggested to Politico that Hunter’s lawyers should be wary of Noreika — who was appointed by former President Donald Trump but had the support of Delaware’s two Democratic senators.
“When you see a judge who is willing to essentially double the prosecutor’s sentencing recommendation, that’s a little concerning, obviously for any lawyer,” Tilem told the website.
Hunter could have a better outcome because he is only charged with purchasing one gun, while federal sentencing guidelines recommend a harsher sentence for crimes involving three or more firearms.
Furthermore, his weapon has never been used in a crime.
Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden with whom Hunter was dating at the time, threw the gun in a trash can outside a Wilmington supermarket in 2018.