Did the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps convict Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, of sexual assault against six women and then sentence to him to death for said crimes? No, that's not true: An on-duty public information officer at the Pentagon told Lead Stories that this claim was "Completely false." This claim was made on a self-described satirical website that publishes articles like this one for "entertainment purposes."
The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on October 10, 2021, titled "Military Convicts Hunter Biden; Death Penalty!" (archived here) which opened:
The U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Hunter Biden to death after 6 women appeared via ZOOM to testify how Biden and his handlers had lured them into no-escape situations where they were drugged, raped, and threatened to remain silent "or else."
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Military Convicts Hunter Biden; Death Penalty! - Real Raw News
(Source: Realrawnews.com screenshot taken on Tue Oct 12 14:48:13 2021 UTC)
The article continued, "The first, a woman identified only as 'Ashley,' recounted a disturbing tale...'My parents were political donors and got invites to events. That man...Hunter Biden was at one of them. I was with my parents and their friends when he came over to say hello. He gave off creepy vibes to me right away...I was about to excuse myself to grab a soda when Hunter said he'd get it for me. I started to say 'no thank you,' but he was already walking toward the bar...or whatever it was. As he handed me the drink, he brushed a finger over mine and it sent chills down my spine. I shouldn't have drank the drink. I felt lightheaded and my legs felt rubbery. Everything went blurry. And next thing I know he is holding my hand, leading me up a staircase.'"
In an October 12, 2021, email from an on-duty officer at the Pentagon to Lead Stories, the Hunter Biden claim was categorized as, "Completely false." The Pentagon has previously pointed out to Lead Stories that military tribunals have no jurisdiction over U.S. civilians.
Real Raw News has a long history of publishing false claims in mock news stories, many of them about convictions and executions of various public figures at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. For example, the site reported former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was hanged (she wasn't); former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta was executed (he wasn't); and that "the military" convicted former Attorney General William Barr on charges of treason (it didn't).
The website for Real Raw News includes a disclaimer that warns readers not to take its content too seriously. Specifically, it says:
Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. This website contains humor, parody, and satire. We have included this disclaimer for our protection, on the advice on legal counsel.
(Source: RealRawNews.com screenshot taken Tue Aug 3 16:39:48 UTC 2021)
Lead Stories has covered claims published by Real Raw News in the past. Previous Lead Stories debunks of Real Raw News items is collected here .
