Hunter Biden disbarred in Connecticut after complaints over gun, tax convictions

Hunter Biden was disbarred by a judge in Connecticut on Monday for violating the state's attorney conduct rules, after complaints were filed over his gun and tax convictions for which his father, President Joe Biden, pardoned him.

The former first son consented to being disbarred and admitted to attorney misconduct in an agreement with the state office that disciplines lawyers, The Associated Press reported. However, Hunter Biden did not admit to any criminal wrongdoing.

In May, he was disbarred in Washington, D.C. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1997, after graduating from Yale Law School a year earlier.

Hunter Biden did not speak as he and his lawyer, Ross Garber, appeared remotely via video before Judge Trial Referee Patrick L. Carroll III in Waterbury, Conn.

Last year, he was convicted in Delaware federal court of three felonies for purchasing a gun in 2018 when he lied on a federal form by claiming he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs, according to prosecutors.

Hunter Biden had been set to stand trial in September 2024 in a California case where he was accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes. He agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges before jury selection began.

In Connecticut, the judge found that Hunter Biden violated several ethical rules for lawyers, including engaging in conduct “involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.” Hunter Biden admitted in a court document to some but not all of the misconduct allegations. The judge also cited the disbarment in Washington, D.C.

One of the two people, Paul Dorsey, who filed the complaints about Hunter Biden, told the judge on Monday that he objected to the agreement because the former president's son did not admit to committing crimes. However, Leanne Larson, an attorney with the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel, cited the pardon for the lack of admission.