*GUILTY* EL Chapo - Drug Cartel Chief, arrested Trafficking/conspiracy/firearms

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The Latest: Jury ends day without verdict at El Chapo trial

"The Latest on the U.S. trial of the Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo (all times local):

4:40 p.m.

The jury at the U.S. trial of the Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo has ended its first day of deliberations without a verdict.

Jurors are deciding the fate of Joaquin Guzman in his drug-trafficking case. They are set to resume deliberating on Tuesday morning...."

The Latest: Jury ends day without verdict at El Chapo trial
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El Chapo jurors wrap first day without reaching verdict

February 4, 2019

"...The panel of eight women and four men officially began weighing the charges against the Mexican kingpin around 1 p.m. — and already looked exhausted when they wrapped up for the day less than three and a half hours later....

Earlier, the judge had noted that “some exhibits” would not be sent in with the jurors. He didn’t say which ones, but evidence in the trial included large quantities of cocaine and heroin, AK-47 rifles and a grenade launcher.

Cogan could later be heard telling the defense lawyers and prosecutors a story about “jurors sitting on the marijuana,” prompting the attorneys to burst into laughter...."

https://nypost.com/2019/02/04/el-chapo-jurors-wrap-first-day-without-reaching-verdict/
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El Chapo’ jurors could face a long-term threat: PTSD

FEB 04, 2019

"From the moment they were called to serve in early November, jurors in the trial of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have been subject to extraordinary precautions, a response to what federal court Judge Brian Cogan called “strong and credible reasons to believe the jury needs protection.”

Their identities are secret. Armed guards escort them to and from the Brooklyn courthouse. Even courtroom artists are forbidden to draw them, out of fear that they could become targets.

Yet with deliberations in the high-profile drug trafficking case underway, having starting Monday, and a verdict expected by the end of the week, the jurors are more likely to face a new threat — not from sicarios or paparazzi, as many might have feared, but from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“My research found a lot of jurors [in similar cases] exhibited signs of PTSD,” including nightmares, intrusive thoughts and such physical reactions as nausea and high blood pressure, said Sonia Chopra, a litigation consultant and a jury expert in Oakland. “The very least that can be done is provide them with services after the trial.”

Decades of studies have shown “juror stress” can be similar in severity and duration to the trauma that first-responders might experience after a tragedy. And while moderate stress can actually improve jurors’ ability to pay attention and think critically at trial, intense, ongoing anxiety is common enough that the federal government offers counseling services to help ex-jurors cope.

The Health and Human Services’ Employee Assistance Program “provides any person who is an employee of the federal government up to six confidential counseling sessions with clinical social workers or counselors to work through things,” said Paula Hannaford-Agor, director of the Center for Jury Studies at the National Center for State Courts. Because jurors in federal court are considered temporary government employees, “the judge will extend the jurors’ term of service for six months to a year so the jurors can access those federal benefits.”...

A spokesman for the Eastern District of New York could not immediately say whether jurors there had ever been offered counseling, and officials from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, who oversee the service, did not respond to calls or emails about its use.

Experts say the seven women and five men on the diverse New York jury are more likely than most to need it, and not necessarily for the obvious reasons. Though the defendant is fearsome and some evidence was graphic, the greatest stress for the jury may be the trial’s 12-week length, and at times, its sheer monotony.

“The boredom factor is crushing for jurors,” Chopra explained. “Even in some trials where you don’t have graphic evidence, the loss of control and the boredom can really take a toll......

Fearsome witnesses like Ramirez Abadia and the disturbing evidence they presented can be particularly nightmarish for jurors, who are forbidden to speak about what they see or hear in court until they begin their deliberations...."

‘El Chapo’ jurors could face a long-term threat: PTSD
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‘El Chapo’ trial jurors can finally talk about the case — to each other, as deliberations begin

FEB 04, 2019

"...By 2 p.m., the jury had four questions for the judge in quick succession: In one, they asked whether a “drug war is considered part of a drug trafficking crime as related to count nine,” a weapons charge. It was perhaps no surprise that they had questions.

The counts against Guzman are certainly complicated. The first count, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, for example, has 27 separate violations to consider.

Speaking to the lawyers without the jury present, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan wondered aloud if jurors were getting ahead of themselves, or "putting the cart before the horse," as he put it.

When he called the jury back into court to answer questions, Cogan reminded jurors that they should only be debating count nine if they had already found Guzman guilty of at least one of the first four counts of the indictment. If you don't find Guzman guilty of counts one, two, three or four, he said "you never get to count nine."..."

‘El Chapo’ trial jurors can finally talk about the case — to each other, as deliberations begin
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Keegan Hamilton Retweeted
Alejandra Ibarra Chaoul‏ @luoach 6h6 hours ago
Sleep-deprived reporters rolling on day 2 of jury deliberation at el Chapo trial as early as 1:00 am

(video clip: Alejandra Ibarra Chaoul on Twitter )


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 5h5 hours ago
Hello from Day 40 of El Chapo’s trial.

Here’s the current media situation. Earliest arrivals were at 1am. Almost 40 people are on the unofficial list to get into the courtroom.

Jury returns this morning for the second day of deliberations. Will this all end today?

(video clip: Keegan Hamilton on Twitter )



Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
El Chapo’s trial is preparing journalists for the future of digital media.

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Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 5h5 hours ago
As a Brooklyn jury mulls the fate of El Chapo here's what's likely to happen next w/some of the witnesses who testified against him. Lawyers in the case of Chapo's mistress, Lucero Sanchez, are expected to file a status report today that may indicate when she'll be sentenced.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 5h5 hours ago
Prosecutors will eventually file papers w/sentencing recommendations for other witnesses, including the cartel prince, Vicente Zambada Niebla; Vicente's uncle, Rey Zambada; and Chapo's top aide, Damaso Lopez. But so far, their dockets don't indicate any (visible) schedules.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 5h5 hours ago
One major Chapo witness, the Colombian trafficker Alex Cifuentes, may end up testifying in a new cartel trial against Mikhaylo "Russian Mike" Koretzkyy. That case, based in Manhattan, will touch on the Sinaloa cartel's Canadian operations. Alex was instrumental in those.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 5h5 hours ago
As a side note one of Chapo's lawyers, Jeff Lichtman, is representing Russian Mike. Lichtman also repped Edgar Veytia, a former Mexican state attorney general, who pled guilty last month to drug charges in a case handled by some of the Chapo prosecutors.

Former Mexican State Attorney General Pleads Guilty to International Narcotics Distribution Conspiracy
Defendant Used His Position as a Law Enforcement Official to Facilitate International Drug Trafficking into the United States

January 4, 2019

"Earlier today at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Edgar Veytia, the former Attorney General for the State of Nayarit, Mexico, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon to one count of international conspiracy to manufacture and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 963, 960(b)(1)(A), 960(b)(1)(B)(ii), 960(b)(1)(G), 960(b)(1)(H) and 959(d), for his involvement in a 2013 to 2017 scheme to import illegal drugs from Mexico into the United States. When sentenced, Veytia faces up to life in prison...."

Former Mexican State Attorney General Pleads Guilty to International Narcotics Distribution Conspiracy


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 5h5 hours ago
In other words, should Chapo be convicted there will be other cartel trials and targets. The DEA, in its most recent assessment of the drug trade, named not only the Sinaloa cartel, but a rising power, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as major current threats.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 4h4 hours ago
The leader of Jalisco New Generation, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (aka El Mencho), is already facing charges in a 2014 indictment brought in Washington DC. The two prosecutors named on his case file are Andrea Goldbarg and Anthony Nardozzi, both of whom are on the Chapo team.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 4h4 hours ago
A personal thing: I may be slightly behind in reporting a verdict today (if there is one.) Judge Cogan plans to freeze the courtroom until the verdict is read in its entirety. People in the overflow room will be able to rush out in the middle. But a story will be posted ASAP.
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted Alan Feuer

Thread on what’s next for some of the key players in El Chapo’s trial

--- Alan Feuer on Twitter


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
As for Chapo, if/when he’s found guilty he faces a mandatory sentence of life with no parole. He’ll likely be sent to ADX Florence, the supermax prison in Colorado that houses drug kingpins, terrorists, spies, and gang leaders.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
ADX Florence is already home to one of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords: Osiel Cardenas Guillen aka “El Mata Amigos,” the former leader of the Gulf Cartel and the creator of Los Zetas. He and Chapo are not friends.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
Here’s a story that explains what Chapo has to look forward to at ADX Florence, the so-called “Alcatraz of the Rockies.” He’ll be kept in extreme isolation. I’d say there’s no chance of escape but it’s Chapo so…

Inside ADX: The Federal Supermax Locks Inmates Down and Shuts Reporters Out

JULY 14, 2015

"It's difficult to imagine a more severe form of long-term isolation than the past seven years of solitary confinement experienced by former Colombian rebel commander Simon Trinidad, the subject of this week's Westword cover story, "Gone Guerrilla." Serving sixty years for his (much-disputed) role in the kidnapping of three American civilians, Trinidad is confined to a unit in the federal supermax in Colorado reserved for Special Administrative Measures (SAMs) inmates, including Al-Qaeda operatives and others linked to global terrorism. The ability of SAMs inmates to communicate with family, friends and even their own lawyers is severely restricted — and, in some instances, just about nonexistent..."

Inside ADX: The Federal Supermax Locks Inmates Down and Shuts Reporters Out

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
Today marks exactly three months since jury selection began in El Chapo's trial.

I was one of five journalists in the courtroom to see how they picked the 12 people who are now deciding his fate. Read about it @vicenews:

FAKE NEWS, MICHAEL JACKSON, AND LEGAL WEED: INSIDE EL CHAPO’S JURY SELECTION

Nov 8, 2018

"Maybe it was the Michael Jackson impersonator. Maybe it was the first encounter with a burly, bearded courtroom security guard who looked like Conor McGregor. Or maybe it was when somebody asked to get an autograph from the defendant, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Looking back, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment when it became clear that jury selection in the trial of the world’s most notorious drug lord had turned into a circus...."

Fake news, Michael Jackson, and legal weed: Inside El Chapo’s jury selection


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
Inside Chapo's jury selection:

“People were saying, ‘How dare the government waste money having the trial here in the US.’ It was basically, ‘He’s Mexican and he was extradited and he should have been tried in Mexico, not here.’ That was a common thread."

THIS IS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO ALMOST GET PICKED FOR EL CHAPO’S JURY

Nov 27, 2018

"Four days a week for at least the next three months, armed guards will escort a dozen New Yorkers, who wake up at the crack of dawn, to the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. They’re the jurors charged with deciding whether Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán will spend the rest of his life in prison, and their names are being kept secret over concerns they could be threatened or killed by the Sinaloa cartel.

Juror 73 was nearly one of those people. An Asian-American woman in her 50s who works in the art business, she was among the last group of prospective jurors interviewed by Judge Brian Cogan, federal prosecutors, and El Chapo’s defense team. And she remembers her adrenaline pumping while she sat in the courtroom a few seats away from El Chapo.

“My heart was beating so hard and so fast when I was sitting there,” she recalled. “Just the fact I was so close to El Chapo, that made me very nervous.”..."

This is what it's like to almost get picked for El Chapo’s jury
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted seriøs gutt

How does a notorious drug cartel leader like Osiel Cardenas Guillen avoid life in prison? Pay the US government $50 million in cash. http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2016/cartels/ via @ajcorchado

---seriøs gutt‏ @ThomasFonn
Replying to @keegan_hamilton
Osiel is out in feb 2025, will be 56-57 years old. Kind of ironic.
4:31 AM - 5 Feb 2019


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
My favorite random people at El Chapo's trial are a couple originally from Culiacán who are at the front of the line today. They now live in California and came for the first time around Xmas for their anniversary. They've flown back again to witness the verdict. Muy romántico.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Heading up to the courtroom now, stay tuned for updates…


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Note: Reporters in the courtroom for the verdict will be a few minutes behind the breaking news. We have to wait for the jury to be dismissed; press in the overflow room can run out. @vicenews will have a story ASAP, I'll follow up with Chapo's reaction and more details.
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Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 3h3 hours ago
I spoke with @abcnews this morning about what we can expect from Day 2 of jury deliberations into Chapo Guzmán's trial. Take a listen.

(video clip: Emily Palmer on Twitter )
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 13m13 minutes ago
Waiting for a verdict is — not surprisingly — a lot of waiting. I've been hanging out in the courtroom, chatting with folks and killing time. Other reporters are down in the press room, where we're allowed to use phone and laptops. When there's a note from the jury, it's frantic.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 21m21 minutes ago
No verdict yet in Chapo's trial. Not even a peep from the jury, despite yesterday's flurry of notes. Just before noon a reporter misread an email with the word: "VERDICT." We stormed the elevator, stripping our belts and shoes before reaching security. The Marshals just laughed.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 8m8 minutes ago
A moment ago, a journalist who was in the press room burst into the courtroom and shouted "There's something! We have a verdict!" The lawyers and government officials were looking around confused. Other journalists were out of breath as they hustled into court. It was madness.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 17m17 minutes ago
We all ran so fast, one reporter forgot her pad and pen, while another who was still carrying his (forbidden) cellphone, threw it in the trash on his way inside ... of course there was no verdict, and the phone was resurrected from its clavo.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 6m6 minutes ago
It was a false alarm. Somebody in the press room misread an email from a court spokesman w/ the subject line: "When there is a verdict."

That triggered a stampede, with reporters sprinting to make it into the courtroom.

"It was like somebody yelled fire," said one journalist.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 6m6 minutes ago
All this is to say, there are no updates yet. The jury is still deliberating. No notes to the judge so far.
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 6m6 minutes ago
Just got a note from the jury. They're asking for four things:

1) The transcript of a phone call regarding "ice"

2) Testimony from Rey Zambada re: "Chispiro," who supplied the cartel with ephedrine

3) Full testimony from Alex Cifuentes

4) Full testimony from Jorge Cifuentes


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 8m8 minutes ago
Chapo jury just sent out a crazy note. The craziest part: seems they want the entirety of the testimony of both Alex and Jorge Cifuentes, two Colombian traffickers close to Chapo. Thats several *days* worth of testimony. The judge is trying to figure out how not to do a readback.



Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4m4 minutes ago
So, what does this mean? The jury seems to be hung up on whether prosecutors proved the meth conspiracy charge against Chapo. This is the second note asking for evidence related to meth. Both Cifuentes brothers testified about supplying ephedrine for meth production.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 7m7 minutes ago
The jury also asked for a phone call in which meth is discussed and for "Rey" Zambada's testimony concerning his own role in buying ingredients for meth production. This interest in meth squares w/their note from yesterday asking about ephedrine, a precursor to meth.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 43s43 seconds ago
After a morning of silence, 4 questions from the jury just after 1:45 p.m.: two regarding meth: 1. requesting a phone recording about 'ice' and 2. Ray Zambada's testimony about a man named Chespiro, who wanted legal help to bring ephedrine from "one of those Asian countries."


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 6m6 minutes ago
Back to the request for the Cifuentes' testimony: The judge said he was inclined to simply give jurors the printed pages rather than spending 3 to 5 days--yes, 3 to 5 DAYS--reading back that testimony. Because that would be nuts.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2m2 minutes ago
It's going to be a while before they reach a verdict. The testimony from the Cifuentes brothers was lengthy. Judge Cogan was reluctant to provide all of it, and he asked the attorneys to get that together so they could see how much material it would be. This will take time.

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 10m10 minutes ago
About this "Chespiro":

Rey Zambada — the brother of El Mayo — testified that he met a man with that alias around 2004-2005 and asked for legal support to bring to 15-20 tons of ephedrine "from one of those Asian countries over on that side."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 5m5 minutes ago
Here's the wiretapped phone call requested by the jury. It's a brief convo between Chapo and an unidentified woman.

He tells her to ask a guy "to find customers for ice over there in the United States.

1) Transcript:

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5726808-El-Chapo-trial-Transcript-of-call-requested-by.html …

2) Audio:

El Chapo trial: Transcript of call requested by jury during deliberations on 2.5.19


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 5m5 minutes ago
The wiretapped call might be played for the jury in the courtroom. Heading back up there now, stay tuned for updates. This is getting interesting.
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[Niner]

you and me both!

 

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 45m45 minutes ago
We've got more updates, and none of them suggest the jury is anywhere near a verdict. They have asked the judge for permission to leave at 4:15 pm, which suggest this is headed for a third day of deliberations.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 41m41 minutes ago
There was a break after the jury sent the first note earlier this afternoon. The lawyers were supposed to be gathering materials to send back to the jury. Judge Cogan, speaking for everyone, remarked: "This is taking too long. I'm not sure why this is taking so long."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 40m40 minutes ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted Keegan Hamilton

The jury was brought into the courtroom and they played the recording of this call they requested earlier. The transcript was shown on a screen in the courtroom.

---Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton
Here's the wiretapped phone call requested by the jury. It's a brief convo between Chapo and an unidentified woman. He tells her to ask a guy "to find customers for ice over there in the United States.

1) Transcript:

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5726808-El-Chapo-trial-Transcript-of-call-requested-by.html …

2) Audio:

El Chapo trial: Transcript of call requested by jury during deliberations on 2.5.19


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 38m38 minutes ago
Then the jury got a read back of Rey Zambada's testimony about "Chespiro." Correction from earlier: Rey said he met him in 2004/05 in Mexico City. Said he was in charge of meth production for Chapo, wanted help importing 15-20 tons of ephedrine from Asia via a front company.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 37m37 minutes ago
There was some debate about whether the jury should receive all of the testimony from Alex and Jorge Cifuentes. Prosecutors wanted to ask if they were interested specifically in the bits about meth. Defense pushed for all of it to be sent back — hundreds and hundreds of pages.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 34m34 minutes ago
Defense argued that the jury asked for all of the Cifuentes testimony but just a small bit from Zambada. Cogan agreed: "I'm not going to read the jury's mind." Parties now working to prepare the transcripts. They need to redact some parts, which takes more time.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 32m32 minutes ago
The jury also sent another note, which Cogan said "makes the issue worse." They requested the entire testimony of an obscure witness named Juan Aguayo. He was a border agent who arrested three guys who were trying to smuggle weed into California by boat.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 30m30 minutes ago
The guys arrested by Aguayo were caught hiding in some rocks on a beach north of San Diego with a few hundred kilos of weed nearby. There were text messages that showed Chapo had ordered his mistress to arrange the shipment, then provide lawyers when the guys got busted.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 30m30 minutes ago
These were some super deep cuts by the jury. Me and @alanfeuer have been following this case as closely as anyone and neither of us could remember Chespiro or Juan Aguayo. The jury stumped us at Chapo trial trivia.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 28m28 minutes ago
Seems likely that the jurors are reviewing their handwritten notes from the trial, asking for more info about things they thought were important at the time but maybe don't remember super well now.



Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 27m27 minutes ago
This is great for the defense. The longer the jury deliberates, the better their odds of a mistrial or — by some miracle — an acquittal.

Prosecutors starting to look a bit nervous. The US Attorney appeared briefly in the courtroom and huddled with them after the first note.
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Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 56m56 minutes ago
Oof. The jury has just asked for the full testimony of Juan Aguayo, one if the law enforcement witnesses. The Cifuentes testimony is being prepped for them but sidebars and sustained objections have to be redacted.
This could take a while.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 43m43 minutes ago
Aguayo was a Border Patrol officer who testified about 400 kgs or so of weed being seized near San Diego and three dudes being arrested after washing up there “wet and sandy” on the beach.
Are the jurors now seeking to substantiate the pot charges too?
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Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 3h3 hours ago
It's really interesting that the jury is so caught up on meth ... because it's been a mere footnote in a trial focused on cocaine. But this isn't the first time that the jury has asked about it ... a question yesterday: “Is ephedrine considered as methamphetamine?”



Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 3h3 hours ago
Don't expect a verdict in Chapo's trial today. The other two questions by the jury: requesting what the judge interpreted as the FULL testimony of two cooperating witnesses: both Jorge and Alex Cifuentes. The judge estimated it could take 4 to 5 days to read back.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 3h3 hours ago
Of course, the judge doesn't plan to read back that much testimony. He said he didn't want to read back more than an hour of testimony, suggesting that transcripts be created for the testimony of the Cifuentes brothers.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 2h2 hours ago
Of course, it's impossible to know what the jury is thinking, but it may be telling that the jury has focused in on the Cifuentes brothers -- @NYCDefenseLaw spent much of his closing statements lacerating their reputations. Perhaps the jury was listening.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 2h2 hours ago
The consequence of Chapo's extradition has been front and center in this trial: most prominently with using translators for 13/14 star witnesses and translations of much of the evidence, and now with the jury's fixation on meth: a footnote in the trial but a headline in the U.S.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 53m53 minutes ago
“This is taking too long,” the judge said. “I don’t know why it’s taking too long.” He wasn’t talking about the jury (though many reporters expected a quick verdict). He was expecting that the government would produce the requested evidence more quickly.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 52m52 minutes ago
Why so long? The prosecutor noted the “voluminous” transcripts, adding that objections and sidebars would need to be redacted. She suggested they ask the jury what part of the Cifuentes brothers’ testimony they’d want. Objection? “Yes” “Yes” from @balarezolaw + @NYCDefenseLaw.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 49m49 minutes ago
“They asked for the entirety of the testimony,” @NYCDefenseLaw said. “That’s what they want; we shouldn’t be reading the tea leaves.” “Alright, alright, Mr. Lichtman,” the judge noting: “I’m not going to try to read the jury’s mind.”


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 45m45 minutes ago
Even before the first four requests were met, the jury had another: for the full testimony of another witness, this one you probably don't remember, that of Juan Aguayo, a border patrol agent who discussed 2012 marijuana seizure on a beach in Malibu, California.
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Still no verdict in El Chapo trial as jurors ask to go over testimony

February 5, 2019 | 3:09pm

"Jurors in the trial of Mexican Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman on Tuesday asked to go over testimony from three cartel turncoats who took the stand for government prosecutors.

In their second day of deliberations in Brooklyn federal court, the panel of eight women and four men sent notes requesting testimony from cooperating witness brothers Alex and Jorge Cifuentes — as well as specific testimony from former Sinaloa Cartel accountant Jesus “El Rey” Zambada about a man named “Chespiro.”

The jurors also asked to hear audio of a phone call between Guzman and a woman in which the kingpin discusses the drug ice, a type of methamphetamine...."

https://nypost.com/2019/02/05/still-no-verdict-in-el-chapo-trial-as-jurors-ask-to-go-over-testimony/
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 15m15 minutes ago
We're officially headed for a third day of deliberations in El Chapo's trial.

The jury will pick up where they left off when they return to the courthouse at around 9:30am ET tomorrow.

We currently have no indication they are close to reaching a verdict.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 8m8 minutes ago
About the jury's marijuana question this afternoon: There are two parts of Chapo's indictment that deal with weed.

Count 1 involves a specific shipment of 409 kilos in Jan. 2012.

Count 2 involves a broader international conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilos.

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[JDG]

Slate dot com

The End of El Chapo