EL Chapo - Drug Cartel Chief, arrested for Trafficking, conspiracy, firearms etc. *guilty* #2

[YESorNO]

El Chapo jurors could be in legal trouble for criminal contempt as defense readies push for retrial (with clip)

March 1, 2019

"...But the jury – who were carefully and secretly selected amid much concern for their safety – might now face legal ramifications of their own as Guzman’s defense appears set to file a motion mandating amid allegations of juror misconduct.

“There may be an evidentiary hearing to find out more, and then the jurors each have the right to their own attorneys. If they can’t afford it, it falls back to the courts to provide a public defender,” said a federal law enforcement official, who spoke of the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media. “Chapo’s defense could also argue for a change of venue altogether, insisting that everything is tainted again.”

The official also noted that Judge Brian Cogan should have sequestered the jury, essentially isolating them from the public for a period of time, to avoid external influences and exposure to media reports. But if proven, serious consequences may abound....

The Judge has granted the Defense until March 28 to file their motion. Depending on the outcome of the motion, either a “new trial” will be set or he will be sentenced as originally planned on June 25....

“Showing the court that the jurors' actions were equal to misconduct isn’t enough,” explained California-based attorney Arash Hashemi. “What this basically means is that El Chapo’s lawyers have to demonstrate that the so-called outside evidence is what made the jurors reach their verdict and without the outside evidence they would not have reached such a verdict.”...."

El Chapo jurors could be in legal trouble for criminal contempt as defense readies push for retrial
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[YESorNO]

El Chapo’s wife breaks silence since conviction with bizarre video

March 1, 2019

"The wife of convicted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has finally broken her silence since his guilty verdict — by posting a photo of a lonely Kermit the Frog on social media.

In her first public display since Guzman, 61, was convicted last month on drug-trafficking charges, former beauty queen Emma Coronel posted to Instagram a photo of the green Muppet reclining on a bed and appearing to lament his isolation.

“You no longer go out, do not send messages or call anyone,” the 29-year-old Coronel captioned the photo in Spanish — while also labeling Kermit as “me.”

“What are you doing in your house that is so important??” she added...."

https://nypost.com/2019/03/01/el-ch...e-since-guilty-conviction-with-bizarre-video/

 

[YESorNO]

More on El Chapo's wife:

Who Is the Real Mrs. El Chapo?

MARCH 3, 2019

"Emma Coronel Aispuro, who married Mexico’s most dangerous man when she was just 18, sat through nearly every day of her husband’s trial — but what drives her is still a mystery..."

Emma Coronel Aispuro: Who Is the Real Mrs. El Chapo? – Rolling Stone

 

[YESorNO]

Cartel lieutenant facing trial in Chicago greeted ‘El Chapo’ after escape: feds

03/05/2019

"A reputed Sinaloa drug cartel lieutenant who’s facing trial next month in a 9-year-old Chicago case was in the greeting party the first time Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera escaped from prison in Mexico, federal prosecutors say.

That’s among the evidence against Jesus Raul Beltran-Leon revealed in court papers this week as the U.S. attorney’s office outlined its case for the trial set to begin April 29.

Beltran-Leon, 35, was a lieutenant to Guzman’s son Alfredo Guzman, one of the logistical coordinators for the tons of drugs the cartel shipped to Chicago and other U.S. cities, prosecutors say.

Guzman escaped a Mexican prison in 2001 and called his son Ivan Guzman to pick him up, according to a former cartel member turned government informant. Beltran-Leon told the informant he was with the son when they met the drug kingpin, making Beltran-Leon “one of the first people to see” the boss after the first of his two daring prison escapes, according to prosecutors...."

Cartel lieutenant facing trial in Chicago greeted 'El Chapo' after escape: feds
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[YESorNO]

Will El Chapo Get a New Trial Due to Jury Misconduct? Experts, Former High-Profile Jurors Weigh in

03/04/19

"El Chapo has been convicted, but now it might be time to pass judgement on the jury.

After three grueling months and tons, literally, of evidence, convicted drug kingpin, and now maybe child molester, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman could be granted a retrial because of a rampant case of juror misconduct....

In order to avoid passing judgement on the jury too quickly, Observer got in contact with two jurors from other high profile trials, which involved media scrutiny, to get their expert opinions on the matter.

Kevan, who asked to go by first name only to protect anonymity, was a juror on the Boston Marathon bombing trial and said there was very little temptation to look at the news....

Kevan was clear about not wanting to judge individuals from the El Chapo jury too harshly, since he did not know exactly what went through their minds, but believes that avoiding the news for a major trial is not a ridiculous request....

Another thing the Chapo juror said was that they didn’t want to be thought of as a snitch by fellow jurors. The person ended up snitching to Vice anyway, but that’s beside the point.

“I thought they were going to hold me in contempt… I didn’t want to say anything or rat out my fellow jurors,” said the anonymous El Chapo juror to Vice.

Aimee Boden, who served as a juror during the trial of a gang member involved in the killing of Carey Gabay, the former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo who was killed by a stray bullet before the West Indian Day Parade in 2015, has experience with this herself.

She said some of her fellow jurors would talk about the case when they went back into the jury room during breaks. It didn’t sit well with Boden.

“At one point, because I was the elder, more mature person in the room, I told the court officer,” said Boden.

The issue stopped, but it made things tense.

“Clearly, they knew I ratted them out, and I don’t think she told them, ‘I heard from Aimee that you guys are talking,’ but they knew that I ratted them out, and that created a lot of ’ hostility,” said Boden....

...multiple members of the El Chapo jury did look at the news, and are now being accused of juror misconduct. It is a serious issue with potential prison time, but James Cohen, a professor at Fordham University School of Law, thinks it is unrealistic that any of the Chapo jurors will actually be sentenced.

He says that for a juror to go to prison for misconduct, it would require the judge to give a warning about the rules before the trial, and specify that breaking one of them would result in time behind bars.

“Without that kind of notice, there’s no way in the world anybody goes to jail in this kind of a situation,” said Cohen.

Judge Brian Cogan, who presided over the Chapo trial, did not threaten jail time, but that’s not to say other judges haven’t taken notice of this particular instance....

If El Chapo does get a new trial, anything is possible. The defense will have a better understanding of what the prosecution has in store, and will get another chance to cross-examine the witnesses. They won’t, however, be able to change the text messages or slew of recorded phone conversations the government has of Chapo conducting business. That could be an issue.

Still, El Chapo will likely jump at any opportunity he can get to avoid a life in prison. And If he can, it would be his greatest escape yet."

Will El Chapo Get a New Trial Due to Jury Misconduct? Experts, Former High-Profile Jurors Weigh in
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[JerseyGirl]

Attorneys for Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera will file a motion later this month for a new trial on the basis of rampant juror misconduct...

El Chapo deserves a new trial

 

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 19h19 hours ago
US authorities in Newark discover nearly 1.5 metric tons of cocaine hidden inside a shipping container from Buenaventura,
Colombia

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/11/nyregion/cocaine-bust-nyc-newark.html …


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 19h19 hours ago
"It is the largest cocaine seizure at the Port of New York/Newark since May 1994”

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/cbp-hsi-dea-uscg-nysp-nypd-approximately-3200-pounds-cocaine-seized …

 

[YESorNO]

El Chapo guilty: Will his jailing change anything?

March 12, 2019

"...Analysts say that the trial, however spectacular, will have little impact on the drug war. “We‘re trying to stop commerce in a product that is in high demand,” says the Cato Institute‘s Ted Galen Carpenter.

Yet US authorities say the trial nevertheless plays a key role in the fight.

“It‘s important to hold everyone, and especially those at the very top of the pyramid, accountable for their actions because there‘s been a tremendous amount of tragedy and death and misery,” says narcotics prosecutor Bridget Brennan.

Former agent Michael McGowan agrees that it‘s important to hold Guzmán accountable but he says he feels no personal animosity towards him.

“He‘s a professional. We‘re professionals,” says McGowan. “We happened to win the last round.”

In the end, the trial helped to shed light on the drug trade and its impact on the nation.

“It‘s very simple,” McGowan says, describing both the trial and his work as an agent. “It‘s the search for the truth.”

Guzmán already knows the truth about his role in the cartel, and towards the end of the day he regained his swagger.

Before the jury began deliberations, he turned to his lawyers and made a fist, a kingpin‘s salute, and left the room."

El Chapo guilty: Will his jailing change anything? | Wilcox Guardian

 

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 14h14 hours ago
#BREAKING @vicenews: Prosecutors just unsealed a new batch of court documents from El Chapo's trial.

The material includes additional info on witness Alex Cifuentes and Chapo's "sexual activities with underage partners"

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5770464-Chapo-Trial-Gov-Motion-About-Alex-587-2.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 14h14 hours ago
These docs came out at the request of @nytimes and @vicenews. Parts of Chapo's trial were shrouded in secrecy, lawyers asked Judge Cogan to unseal docs, he ordered defense and prosecutors to comply.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 14h14 hours ago
First batch of docs was unsealed on the eve of jury deliberations, revealing the bombshell that Chapo drugged and raped girls as young as 13, who he paid to have brought to his mountain hideouts. We now know the jury heard about that info.

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/vbwzny/inside-el-chapos-jury-a-juror-speaks-for-first-time-about-convicting-the-kingpin …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 14h14 hours ago
Unsealed docs also showed how the jury didn't get the full story about Alex Cifuentes, the Colombian who was Chapo's deputy in the mountains. He believed in some wild conspiracies…

A key witness against Chapo believes in aliens, the Illuminati, and witchcraft

 

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 14h14 hours ago
Documents released today have even more details about Alex Cifuentes and his "extracurricular interests in the Illuminati, Freemasonry, other planets, other galaxies, UFOs and the idea that there was an impending apocalypse in 2012."

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 14h14 hours ago
Prosecutors argued (successfully) that Cifuentes should not be questioned about his unusual "interests" because "the use of witchcraft and sorcery was not uncommon in Mexico in 2011"

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 14h14 hours ago
Prosecutors also argued (successfully) that Cifuentes should not be questioned about the time he ran over and killed a 10-year-old girl in Colombia and paid off her family to not press charges…

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 13h13 hours ago
Documents unsealed today include new details on Vicente Zambada, son of Chapo's partner Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Vicente once claimed he had a secret immunity deal with the DEA, but the jury never got to hear about that…

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5770469-Vicente-Public-Authority-587-6.html …

 

[YESorNO]

New El Chapo docs reveal more about child rape, fascination with aliens

March 15, 2019

"The relationship between Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and his right-hand man blossomed based on their mutual interest in raping minor girls, prosecutors claim in newly unsealed court documents.

The statement was made in a motion filed by federal prosecutors last October to preclude Guzman’s defense team from asking the kingpin’s right-hand man, Alex Cifuentes, about the young girls the duo allegedly had delivered to them for sex....

Guzman, through his attorneys, emphatically denied having ever drugged or raped minors.

The documents also address Cifuentes’ “extracurricular interests in the Illuminati, Freemasonry, other planets, other galaxies, UFOs and the idea that there was an impending apocalypse in 2012.”...

The documents also touch on an immunity deal that Vicente Zambada, the son of Guzman’s partner, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, claims to have had with the DEA.

Prosecutors write that it would be unfair to question Zambada about the alleged deal with US law enforcement, as he failed to provide “any sufficient factual evidence in support of his argument.”

The documents also reference “acts of violence, including kidnapping, torture and murder,” by Chapo, though the actual details of those acts remain redacted.

Guzman faces life behind bars at sentencing, which is currently scheduled for June."

https://nypost.com/2019/03/15/new-e...ore-about-child-rape-fascination-with-aliens/

 

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 13h13 hours ago
More on Vicente Zambada and the US government's alleged dealings with the Sinaloa cartel, including the "Fast and Furious" gun-running operation…

PROSECUTORS DON’T WANT EL CHAPO’S JURY TO HEAR HOW THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SENT GUNS TO THE SINALOA CARTEL

Dec 10, 2018

"BROOKLYN, New York — Operation Fast and Furious is among the most epic boondoggles in the history of federal law enforcement, which probably explains why federal prosecutors don’t want jurors in the trial of Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to hear anything about it.

Fast and Furious was intended as a sting operation by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms to bust gun-runners and straw purchasers along the border. But it ultimately led to American firearms being sent to Mexican cartels and later linked to murders, including the fatal shootings of a Border Patrol agent in 2010 and an ICE agent in 2011.

Altogether, the ATF lost track of about 2,000 weapons, some of which ended up in the hands of El Chapo’s Sinaloa cartel. Most notably, after El Chapo was captured following a shootout in the city of Los Mochis in 2016, a Barrett .50-caliber rifle linked to Fast and Furious was found inside the drug lord’s hideout. An ATF agent told VICE News in 2016 that the agency knew “when, and where, as well as who purchased the gun," which is so powerful it can "down helicopters, destroy commercial aircraft, and blast through rail cars."..."

Prosecutors don’t want El Chapo’s jury to hear how the U.S. government sent guns to the Sinaloa cartel

 

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 13h13 hours ago
Some info still remains secret despite the unsealing. This document references "acts of violence, including kidnapping, torture and murder" by Chapo, but the redactions leave much to the imagination…

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5770473-Redacted-Doc-Uncharged-Acts-of-Violence-587-1.html …

 

[YESorNO]

Filings from El Chapo trial show efforts to limit testimony

March 15, 2019

"NEW YORK (AP) — Newly unsealed documents from the U.S. trial of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman detail the behind-the-scenes efforts by prosecutors to keep out evidence potentially damaging to their witnesses and embarrassing to the government, including beliefs in mysticism, sex with minors and secret deals with drug enforcement agents.

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan mostly barred defense attorneys from cross-examining the witnesses on the material at a trial that ended last month with the conviction of the Mexico’s most notorious narco on drug and murder conspiracy charges. The judge agreed to unseal documents about it once the trial was over at the request of The New York Times and Vice News.

The filings were unsealed late Thursday. The U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment Friday, and there was no immediate comment from the defense team.

A previous batch of documents unsealed in early February were the first to reveal previous statements by a key government cooperator who told authorities Guzman had him drug girls as young as 13 before the Sinaloa cartel boss had sex with them at one of his Mexican hideouts in the late 2000s. Guzman has denied through his lawyers that it ever happened.

The allegations could have hurt the government case in the eyes of the jury because the same witness, Colombian drug-trafficker Alex Cifuentes, admitted to sex with minors, as well. In the newly unsealed documents, prosecutors told the judge the “highly salacious details of sexual activity” were irrelevant to the case....

Guzman is set to be sentenced on June 25. He faces a mandatory life sentence."

Filings from El Chapo trial show efforts to limit testimony

 

[JerseyGirl]

El Chapo seeks new trial, citing jury misconduct

Defense attorneys say El Chapo should get a new trial because jurors improperly followed media coverage of the sensational drug conspiracy case.

Joaquin Guzman's defense team said in court filings Tuesday that jury misconduct denied him the right to a fair trial.

The defense is asking the judge to hold a hearing and grant a new trial.

The U.S. attorney's office is declining to comment.

Guzman faces life in prison at his June sentencing.

 

[YESorNO]

'El Chapo' lawyers seek a retrial of convicted drug lord, citing potential jury misconduct

March 26, 2019

"NEW YORK — Lawyers for Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán are seeking a retrial of the convicted f filed Tuesday, defense attorneys cited a Vice News report just after Guzmán's conviction that said at least six jurors from the anonymous panel violated the court's instructions by actively following media coverage of the internationally-watched case.

The violations enabled jurors to get details about prejudicial material that was not submitted in evidence — including a former henchman's claim that Guzmán drugged and raped young girls, plus news reports that one of the defense lawyers allegedly had an adulterous affair with a former client, the attorneys argued.

Jurors who convicted Guzmán on all counts last month should be questioned about the reported violations during an evidentiary hearing that would include written or oral questions from the defense team, attorneys March Fernich and Jeffrey Lichtman argued....

At the request of Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue's office, U.S. District Court Judge Brian Cogan set April 29 as the deadline for the government's response to the defense motion..."

'El Chapo' lawyers seek a retrial of convicted drug lord, citing potential jury misconduct
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El Chapo New Trial Motion

El Chapo New Trial Motion | Sixth Amendment To The United States Constitution | Voir Dire

 

[YESorNO]

Pair convicted in drug scheme tied to sea cucumbers
COURT: Pair tied to massive sea cucumber-drug scheme facing prison time.

March 27, 2019

"BUFFALO -- A federal jury in Buffalo has convicted the last two members of an international narcotics and money laundering organization that trafficked cocaine, heroin and fentanyl from the the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico all the way to the streets of Lockport and Niagara Falls.

The jury convicted Martha Aguirre, 47, of Orange, California, and Juan Alfaro, 54, of Hacienda, California, of narcotics conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.

Martha Aguirre and Alfaro used “front” companies to launder over $12 million in drug proceeds from Buffalo to Los Angeles.

Federal prosecutors said the pair were members of "a transnational drug trafficking organization" whose territories included Mexico, Arizona, California and New York. The organization was supplied by the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada....

Herman Aguirre was previously convicted by a federal jury in Buffalo, along with Lockport resident Troy R. Gillon, on charges of narcotics conspiracy after an eight-week trial. Aguirre was also found guilty of operating a continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering conspiracy...."

Pair convicted in drug scheme tied to sea cucumbers

 

[Gardenista]

El Chapo’s family to launch clothing line with drug lord’s name

 

[YESorNO]

Feds probing El Chapo’s wife for role in kingpin’s 2015 prison escape

April 6, 2019

"...“She’s being investigated for conspiracy in this country,” a federal law enforcement source told The Post. “She is being looked at for her part in El Chapo’s escape.”..."

https://nypost.com/2019/04/06/feds-probing-el-chapos-wife-for-role-in-kingpins-2015-prison-escape/

 

[YESorNO]

Reputed El Chapo lieutenant doesn’t want kingpin’s name uttered during his trial

04/05/2019

"Jesus Raul Beltran Leon is related to Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, through marriage, according to federal prosecutors in Chicago. And he was a top lieutenant in Guzman’s multibillion-dollar drug enterprise, the Sinaloa Cartel, they say.

But when Beltran Leon goes on trial in Chicago on charges that he was a top player in Guzman’s organization, Beltran Leon wants a federal judge to bar prosecutors from mentioning two key names to jurors: Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera. And the Sinaloa Cartel.

The charges against Beltran Leon date to a far-reaching indictment the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago obtained against Guzman and his reputed associates in 2009....

Beltran Leon, 35, faces trial beginning May 20 on charges that accuse him of overseeing tens of millions of dollars of drug money for the Sinaloa Cartel...."

Reputed El Chapo lieutenant doesn't want kingpin's name uttered during his trial

(The wanted poster in Mexico for Jesus Raul Beltran-Leon. | Mexican government)