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

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Last bit of testimony was Balarezo teasing out inconsistencies in Memín's stories about torture and gunfights. One example: Memín said he ran a guy over during a shootout, but a pic of his vehicle shows no blood on the bumper. He said the guy he hit was kneeling, hence no blood.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
The strategy here is to convince the jury that Memín is exaggerating every part of his story. As Balarazo put it, "If they can't believe you on the little things, how can they believe you on the big things?" But it's also reminding the jury of some grisly details from last week.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
For example, Balarezo asked Memín about the guy who was tortured with a clothes iron. Memín responded that he could remember: "it even had the little holes where the iron left marks, where the steam comes out."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Memín still on cross examination, stay tuned for updates…


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Meanwhile, @Alejo_Edda continues to be the story of the day. He's soaking in the trial: "For me, being here feels like I'm inside a movie…" #NarcosMexico
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[YESorNO]

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 33m33 minutes ago
Back at the actual trial, we just heard from James Bradley, a DOD analyst, who gave some new details on the tunnel Chapo used to escape Altiplano prison in 2015. The best one: the tunnel had a ventilation system run a generator. The generator vent was disguised as a BBQ grill.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 34m34 minutes ago
An analyst from the Department of Defense who also worked for EPIC in El Paso came to court to walk us through pictures and videos of the Chapo's famous July 2015 tunnel escape. He described his job as assisting US and Mexican authorities "in understanding what had occurred."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 37m37 minutes ago
We just got another look inside El Chapo's mile-long escape tunnel during testimony from a Department of Defense analyst who was called in help Mexican authorities investigate the incident. Some crazy new details…


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 35m35 minutes ago
The tunnel was ~3 feet wide, ~5 feet tall, and 4600 feet long. It didn't go in a straight line from the house where the entrance was to the prison. It had ventilation and lighting powered by a generator, and the exhaust from the generator was disguised in a BBQ pit.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 35m35 minutes ago
Analyst estimated that it took around 8 months to build. The tunnel was ~35 deep underground at its shallowest point. The motorcycle that Chapo rode out on was used for excavation and had a cart attached to carry dirt and/or tools.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 33m33 minutes ago
It took at least 8 months to build the tunnel, Bradley said. It was 4600' long, about 5' high and 3' wide. There were lights and rails for a small mining cart of sorts. PVC on the ceiling provided air pushed through a motor run by the generator.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 31m31 minutes ago
The tunnel was 4,600 feet long (just shy of a mile) and 3 feet wide by 5 feet tall. At its most shallow point the tunnel dipped 35 feet. At its deepest, 10 yards. Among the tunnel's unique factors: its length as well as a large generator that pumped air into the tunnel.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 32m32 minutes ago
"The air quality was poor," the analyst recalled of Chapo's 2015 tunnel. "The only air that was being forced through there was by the generator."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 33m33 minutes ago
Jury was also shown a version of this video, which is surveillance footage from inside the prison on the night of the escape. It took the guards around 37 minutes after Chapo vanished for them to enter the cell. When they do enter, they look under the bed.

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 31m31 minutes ago
We also saw a prison security video showing guards didn't respond to Chapo's escape for at least 37 minutes. After Chapo vanishes down the hole in his cell shower, guards do appear at his cell calling his name: "Guzman! Guzman Loera!" But even tho he doesn't answer, they leave.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 34m34 minutes ago
The footage that was shown today in also featured some moments of comedy, like the guards shouting, "Joaquín? Don Joaquín?" like it's a game of hide and seek. Chapo made his escape around 9:30pm. The "red alert" for an escape at the prison wasn't sounded until almost midnight.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 30m30 minutes ago
It takes another 30 minutes or so for two more guards to actually enter the cell. That's when they find the tunnel hole. You can hear one apparently on the radio saying, "There is a hole in the shower." Someone asks him, "What size is it?" Big, he answers.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 29m29 minutes ago
The jury watched a video that showed Chapo disappearing down the shower drain tunnel at 8:52 p.m. Guards "kind of look through the bars" Chapo's attorney characterized and later at 9:29 p.m. they open the door, look under the bed "he's not there" and then "then see the hole."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 33m33 minutes ago
My dude @longdrivesouth went inside El Chapo's tunnel shortly after the escape. Here's what he saw:

Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 29m29 minutes ago
In a report the analyst said that the tunnel escape "cemented Chapo's reputation."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 33m33 minutes ago
The government has one last witness, who is about to take the stand. Stay tuned for updates…


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 31m31 minutes ago
ONE MORE WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION: When we return from the break, we will have our final witness of the trial before the prosecution rests. Then the defense will have a chance to mount its case. Lots of opportunities there still up in the air.

At El Chapo Trial, a Potential Star Witness: El Chapo

January 20, 2019

At El Chapo Trial, a Potential Star Witness: El Chapo
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[YESorNO]

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 21m21 minutes ago
It's official: Chapo is NOT testifying at the trial.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 19m19 minutes ago
Judge Cogan asked him this afternoon after the government rested its case. There was a second of drama though. "Your honor," Chapo said, "me and my attorneys have spoken about this and I will reserve." "Reserve?" the judge asked. "Yes, I will not testify," Chapo said.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 21m21 minutes ago
El Chapo spoke in court today, addressing Judge Cogan after the government rested its case:

Chapo: "Señor judge, me and my attorneys have spoken about this and I will reserve."

Judge: "Reserve?"

Chapo: "Yes, I will not testify."


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 19m19 minutes ago
Judge Cogan made sure that he had come to this decision on his own, not just because his lawyers told him to to. "Yes," he said, "but they counseled me about it and I agree with them."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 17m17 minutes ago
Judge asked Chapo whether he was sure about not testifying, said it was his decision — not his lawyers. Chapo replied: "Yes, they counseled me about it and I agree with them."


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 18m18 minutes ago
CHAPO WILL NOT TESTIFY: "No voy a testificar," he said through a translator, adding: of his attorneys: "They counseled me about it and I agree with them."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 12m12 minutes ago
Chapo's lawyer Bill Purpura told the judge he spoke with his client and "explained, in essence, what cross-examination would be if he would testify." Translation: If Chapo were to take the witness stand, he would face a prolonged grilling from prosecutors. It could get ugly.



Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 16m16 minutes ago
Chapo spoke for the first time in court, standing to address the judge in a calm voice. His last-minute decision was finalized just moments ago when he told the judge that he would not testify. Two witnesses will testify for the defense, likely completing testimony tomorrow a.m.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 19m19 minutes ago
The defense will mount a very small case starting tomorrow. They will call two federal agents and question them about inconsistencies between notes they took of interviews with the witness Jorge Cifuentes and Cifuentes' testimony at the trial.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 18m18 minutes ago
Then the trial will speed toward its conclusion:

Wednesday: Govt summations.
Thursday: Defense summations.
The jury could start deliberating on Friday.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 24m24 minutes ago
#BREAKING @vicenews: "The government rests, your honor." The government has rested its case against El Chapo. He will not testify in his own defense. Closing arguments scheduled for Wednesday at Thursday.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 7m7 minutes ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted Keegan Hamilton

The defense plans to call two witnesses for some brief testimony tomorrow. Both are federal agents who interviewed witness Alex Cifuentes. Thread on that's about…

---Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton
New: El Chapo's defense team wants to call US federal agents to testify.
Team Chapo seeks to ask the feds who took notes in proffer sessions for Jorge and Alex Cifuentes to explain some inconsistencies in their stories.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5696110-El-Chapo-s-lawyers-want-to-call-law-enforcement.html …
10:16 AM - 27 Jan 2019

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 5m5 minutes ago
Final stats on the government's case against El Chapo:

-56 total witnesses

-35 days of testimony

-13 witnesses were cooperators testified in exchange for leniency

I don't have a count on government exhibits but there must have been well over 200 pieces of evidence.
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[YESorNO]

Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 12m12 minutes ago
“Two minutes here, two minutes there, pretty soon you’re talking about DAYS,” the judge said to the prosecution showing a video on top of reams of tunnel photos on their last day of arguments. The video played, the prosecution wrapped. Defense will have two quick witnesses in am.


eegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 12m12 minutes ago
This is Judge Cogan's order today on the defense witnesses. Basically, Chapo's lawyers can call law enforcement agents to testify tomorrow about statements made by the Cifuentes brothers, but the scope of the questions will be limited https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5698479-Judge-Cogan-s-ruling-on-El-Chapo-defense-witnesses.html …

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[YESorNO]

Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1m1 minute ago
The @NarcosNetflix's Chapo (@Alejo_Edda) came to court for a character study of the “personaje” he said has unfairly become the government face of cartels. Noting his guilt, he said: “The only sad part is that I know that he’s not the only one … There’s many bad guys around us.”


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 42m42 minutes ago
A little more on Chapo not testifying. We're not privy to his discussions w/his lawyers because of atty-client privilege. But one of them, Bill Purpura, told Judge Cogan they explained what cross-examination might be like if he testified.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 42m42 minutes ago
Purpura said Chapo made the decision not to testify "knowingly and voluntarily."
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[YESorNO]

Amanda Ottaway‏ @amandaottaway 4h4 hours ago
1/2 Actor Alejandro Edda, who plays El Chapo in the Netflix series "Narcos: Mexico," traveled all the way to Brooklyn to lay eyes on the real-life version of his character today. Chapo grinned when his lawyers told him Edda was in the courtroom, and they checked each other out.

Amanda Ottaway‏ @amandaottaway 4h4 hours ago
2/2 Outside, Edda told reporters he's "intimidated" by the real-life Chapo. "I think he’s guilty," he said. "There’s many, many horrendous things that he did...The sad part is, I know he's not the only one."

Prosecution rested today. 56 witnesses! Summations expected this week.


Amanda Ottaway‏ @amandaottaway 2h2 hours ago
As Chapo trial wraps, should US residents feel responsibility for violence wrought by drug trade? As one Mexican analyst told me: “There is no fair-trade cocaine...Every line people were sniffing was connected, somehow, to an act of violence somewhere.”

El Chapo Trial Thin on Causes & Effects of Illicit Drug Trade

January 28, 2019

"BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CN) – It’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and legend that surround Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

His Brooklyn trial has supplied boatloads of Hollywood-level drama – and a bit of Hollywood itself. Since mid-November, a steady procession of Guzman’s alleged former colleagues, most of them in prison scrubs, have taken the witness stand and regaled the anonymous jury with tales of their glory days: gold- and diamond-plated guns, extramarital affairs, a naked tunnel escape, secret airstrips dug into the sides of mountains, cocaine hidden in plastic bananas and chili cans, target practice with a bazooka.

At the start of the trial’s 11th week and after 56 witnesses, the prosecution rested its case Monday. In the gallery sat Mexican actor Alejandro Edda, who plays Guzman in the Netflix series “Narcos.”

Inside the fortress of a courthouse, behind police barricades, two metal detectors and explosive-sniffing dogs, details of the Western Hemisphere’s drug trade have unfurled at a kind of surreal remove from reality...."

El Chapo Trial Thin on Causes & Effects of Illicit Drug Trade
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[YESorNO]

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 5h5 hours ago
A little more on Chapo not testifying. We're not privy to his discussions w/his lawyers because of atty-client privilege. But one of them, Bill Purpura, told Judge Cogan they explained what cross-examination might be like if he testified.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 5h5 hours ago
Purpura said Chapo made the decision not to testify "knowingly and voluntarily."


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 5h5 hours ago
A note on the scope of the government's case, which rested this afternoon: It's so sprawling that prosecutors told Judge Cogan today that they expect their summations to last much/most of the day on Wednesday.
(Chapo's lawyers said they think theirs will last 2 hours or so.)


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 4h4 hours ago
After introducing 56 witnesses, hundreds of intimate text messages, an RPG, even a video of the kingpin's underwear, prosecutors at the trial of El Chapo finally rested today.
In a fitting tribute, an actor who plays the drug lord on Netflix was watching.

The Prosecution Rests Its Case and El Chapo Decides Not to Testify

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
As the prosecution in the Chapo trial rested today, it became clear that the government's case was like something out of a Dickens novel: person after person from the kingpin's past came back to haunt him on the witness stand.

The Prosecution Rests Its Case and El Chapo Decides Not to Testify

January 28, 2019

The Prosecution Rests Its Case and El Chapo Decides Not to Testify
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[Niner]

Tuesday, January 29th:
*Trial continues (Day 36) (@ 9am ET) - NY – *Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera (El Chapo) (~61) arrested & charged with smuggled 155 tons of cocaine into U.S. Sinaloa drug cartel chief. Guzmán faces 17-count indictment charging him with drug trafficking, murder conspiracy & money laundering spanning nearly three decades. Plead not guilty to all charges. No bail.
Prosecutors say Guzmán ran Mexico's Sinaloa cartel from 1989 to 2014. In that time, they allege the cartel brought cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine & marijuana into the U.S. Prosecutors also charged Guzmán in connection with the assassinations of thousands of competitors. Plead not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Trial expected to last several months. Also for trafficking, conspiracy & firearms in California, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Florida & New York.
Skipping over Day 1 thru 30.
1/17/19 Day 31: Gov’t witnesses: Victor Vasquez, DEA agent (in Mexico) who captured El Chapo in 2014. Homeland Security Investigative agent (no name given). Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez Lopez, a former state legislator from Sinaloa who became romantically involved with Chapo. Trial continues on Tuesday, 1/22, as 1/21 is a holiday.
1/22/19 Day 32: Gov’t witnesses: Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez Lopez. Dámaso "Lic" López Nuñez aka El Licenciado. the former deputy director of security and custody at Puente Grande prison in Jalisco, who orchestrated Chapo's epic prison escape through a mile-long tunnel in 2001. Trial continues on 1/23. Prosecutors say the government could rest its case against El Chapo as soon as Thursday. The defense is expected to call its first witness next Monday.
1/23/19 Day 33: Gov’t witnesses: Dámaso López Nuñez aka El Licenciado. Trial continues on 1/24.
1/24/19 Day 34: Gov’t witnesses: Isaias Valdez Rios, aka Memin, a former Mexican special forces guy, spent 10 years working for Chapo. Trial continues on Monday, 1/28. Government could rest their case as early as Monday.
1/28/19 Day 35: Gov’t witnesses: Isaias Valdez Rios aka Memín. James Bradley, a DOD analyst. Gov't rests. Chapo is NOT testifying at the trial. 2 witnesses will testify for the defense, likely completing testimony tomorrow a.m 1/29. Wednesday: Govt summations. Thursday: Defense summations. The jury could start deliberating on Friday.

 

[YESorNO]

Feds rest case against Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán; accused drug lord won't testify in his own defense

Jan. 28, 2019

"....Prosecutors rested their case Monday more than two months into the trial. Their final witnesses included James Bradley, a Department of Defense analyst who studied Guzmán's escape from a Mexican prison via a nearly mile-long tunnel — a breakout that brought him worldwide notoriety.

The final government witness, a Brendan Hanratty, a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent, described Guzmán's January 2017 extradition from Mexico to the U.S. to stand trial.

Afterward, defense lawyers asked Cogan to direct an acquittal of Guzmán.

The judge denied the motion, ruling that the prosecutors had presented more than ample evidence to show Guzmán ran a continuing criminal enterprise that smuggled tons of cocaine, heroin, and other drugs into the United States.

Defense team members said they have tentative plans to call just two witnesses. They are federal investigators who debriefed Jorge Cifuentes and Alex Cifuentes, Colombian brothers and former Guzmán associates who testified against the alleged drug lord.

Defense lawyers plan to highlight discrepancies in what the debriefing agents wrote in memos and what the brothers testified to at trial. However, Cogan issued a ruling Monday that will limit the effort.

Both sides in the case are expected to present closing arguments as soon as Wednesday. The tentative schedule calls for the judge to present the jury with legal requirements for conviction on the charges against Guzmán later Thursday or on Friday.

After that, the panel of seven women and four men is expected to begin deliberating over Guzmán's fate....

Instead of planning an extensive roster of defense witnesses, Guzmán's defense team strategically focused on discrediting the government's cooperating witnesses as criminal liars who agreed to testify in hope of gaining leniency for their self-confessed crimes.

On Monday, defense lawyer Eduardo Balarezo highlighted inconsistencies in Váldez's testimony. The questioning showed that Váldez wasn't necessarily close at hand to witness some of the violence he described....

On Monday, art imitated life as actor Alejandro Edda, who portrays Guzmán in Netflix's Narcos: Mexico, came to the courtroom to observe the man himself sitting at the defense table.

A court security officer warned all spectators in Edda's seating area not to gesture, wave or give a thumb's up in Guzmán's direction. Violators would be removed from the courtroom, the officer said...."

Feds rest case against Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán; accused drug lord won't testify in his own defense
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
Hello from Day 36 of El Chapo's trial.

Today the defense will call its first and only witness — and it won't be Chapo. He told the judge yesterday he will not to testify.

The defense will rest its case today. Closing statements set for Weds/Thurs. A verdict could come Friday…


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Prosecutors filed a motion last night trying to block the defense from claiming in closing arguments that the US and Mexican governments conspired to "selectively target" El Chapo for prosecution.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5699115-El-Chapo-trial-Prosecutors-want-to-block.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Reminder: The defense has argued that El Chapo was set up by his partner El Mayo Zambada. Prosecutors want to keep the jury from hearing about that again in closing statements.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Prosecutors are especially unhappy with the defense claim that Chapo is on trial because El Mayo bribed the Mexican government. They say there's no evidence to back that up — and even there was it's "completely irrelevant" to Chapo's guilt or innocence.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Prosecutors cite a failed attempt to capture El Mayo… as proof that the US is serious about trying to capture El Mayo.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Last excerpt: Prosecutors want to block claims that there is a conspiracy to cover up Mexican government corruption. It's worth noting here that the most explosive corruption claims — like the $100M bribe to EPN — were elicited by the defense, not the government.

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

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 6h6 hours ago
It's fairly rare for prosecutors to limit what the defense can do in summations but they did that in the Chapo trial. The govt filed a letter asking Judge Cogan not to let the defense argue that Chapo was the victim of a conspiracy b/t his partner and corrupt Mexican officials.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 6h6 hours ago
Chapo's lawyers started the trial that way and it didn't go well. They were cut off in the middle of their opening statement.
In the letter the govt said there was no evidence that the partner, Mayo Zambada, conspired w/Mexican officials to target Chapo.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 6h6 hours ago
Prosecutors also asked the judge to stop the defense from arguing that US officials conspired w/Mexico to cover up corruption there. (The defense hinted at that when testimony came out about the alleged $100 million bribe to EPN.)


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 6h6 hours ago
The letter: "Defense counsel’s claim that there is a conspiracy between the United States and Mexican governments to cover up Mexican government corruption is not only patently false and without any basis—it is also utterly irrelevant to the defendant’s guilt."
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[YESorNO]

Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 4h4 hours ago
Today: We will have one law enforcement officer testifying on behalf of Chapo's defense team. Then a bit of housekeeping, and us reporters are crossing our fingers that we can all go out for a nice lunch away from the courthouse. Tomorrow: the government's closing arguments.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 51m51 minutes ago
#BREAKING @vicenews: El Chapo's defense has rested.

They called just one witness, an FBI agent who was asked about his interview with Jorge Cifuentes. The questioning lasted less than 30 minutes total.

The case now heads to closing arguments and a verdict.



Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 30m30 minutes ago
Defense witness was FBI agent Paul Roberts. He took notes during an interview with Colombian drug lord Jorge Cifuentes in February 2017. As you may recall, Jorge was one of Chapo's main cocaine suppliers. @NYCDefenseLaw pressed Roberts on one detail from Jorge's interview.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 47m47 minutes ago
The contrast between El Chapo's defense and the government could not have been more striking. Prosecutors spent 11 weeks calling 56 witnesses. The defense called just one who was on the stand for less than half an hour. The jury has to be wondering what the hell just happened.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 25m25 minutes ago
Specifically, according to notes taken by Roberts, Jorge told the FBI that in 2010 he met with a US Naval Intelligence officer who brought a USB stick loaded w/ evidence from the ongoing investigation into the Cifuentes family and El Chapo.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 22m22 minutes ago
Chapo's lawyer @NYCDefenseLaw argued that Jorge used what he saw on the USB drive to tell prosecutors what they wanted to hear about Chapo.

There was some dispute in the trial about exactly what Jorge said during his FBI interview. The testimony didn't really resolve much.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 21m21 minutes ago
Basically, Roberts said his notes showed the Jorge said he met with a US Naval Intelligence Officer. But on cross, prosecutors raised questions about whether the FBI agent was certain Jorge said the officer was American. Roberts was taking notes by hand through a translator.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 17m17 minutes ago
Obviously, the FBI agent was not super keen to give testimony that was favorable to El Chapo. That led to some awkward and argumentative moments on direct examination. At one point, Judge Cogan spoke up: "Mr. Lichtman, he's your witness." The jury was cracking up.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 14m14 minutes ago
The nuanced point that the Lichtman was trying to make with the one and only defense witness may have been lost on the jury. What the jurors probably saw was the utter lack of a defense. The closing argument is now the last chance to plant seeds of doubt about El Chapo's guilt.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 49m49 minutes ago
CHAPO'S DEFENSE RESTS. The defense's case - consisting of one very uncomfortable FBI agent and a stipulation - lasted about 30 minutes. (The prosecution had 56 witnesses.) "And judge, with that the defense rests." Tomorrow, we return for the government's closing argument.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 13m13 minutes ago
The jury has been sent home for the day. Attorneys are upstairs with the judge in the charging conference, which will last the rest of the morning.

The government will give its closing argument Wednesday.

The defense will go Thursday.

The jury could start deliberating Friday.
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[Niner]

Whoa - quick and short day!!
again - I want to say

for keeping this thread updated with all the tweets & articles YESorNO!!

 

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
Just published @vicenews:

El Chapo's trial is almost over. It's been an absolutely wild ride.

Here are my most memorable moments, including The Helicopter Crash at the Ostrich Ranch, The Poisoned Arepa, The Naked Escape, and many more…

THE 10 MOST INSANE MOMENTS AND STORIES FROM EL CHAPO’S TRIAL

Jan 29, 2019

"BROOKLYN, New York — After 35 days of testimony by 56 witnesses, the trial of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is nearing a conclusion. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn rested their case Monday, and the defense followed suit on Tuesday — after calling just one witness, who was on the stand for less than half an hour.

The lone defense witness was an FBI agent who was questioned about how he took notes during an interview with a Colombian drug lord who testified against El Chapo earlier in the trial. Despite some early indications that El Chapo himself might testify, he told Judge Brian Cogan on Monday that he would invoke his right to remain silent....

Closing arguments are now scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and the jury could begin deliberating as soon as Friday. A guilty verdict, which would carry a mandatory life sentence in Chapo’s case, seems certain. The government has methodically obliterated any semblance of reasonable doubt about his status as the ruthless leader of the “continuing criminal enterprise” known as the Sinaloa cartel.

Chapo may have passed on his chance to get the last word, but even without his testimony, the trial that already been a Shakespearean drama....

The real spectacle, of course, has been the testimony, particularly from the 13 “cooperating witnesses” who used to be part of Chapo’s organization but flipped in exchange for leniency in their own cases. Here are the 10 wildest stories from the government’s case...."

The 10 wildest moments and stories from El Chapo’s trial
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
Trial is done for the day. Only news from the charging conference is that defense closing statement will be able to mention that El Mayo benefitted from Chapo's notoriety, but @NYCDefenseLaw can't claim there's a vast conspiracy w/ Mayo and the US and Mexican governments.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted Max?

The jurors are anonymous and escorted to and from court by US Marshals.

---Max?‏ @maximosley
Replying to @keegan_hamilton @NYCDefenseLaw
Do the Jury have any protection during the case? I for one would not want to have my vote or decision aired, bringing any unwated attention from the defendant.
9:41 AM - 29 Jan 2019


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4h4 hours ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted Dolia Estevez

This was an error on my part. Yesterday was Day 35, today was day 36.

---Dolia Estevez‏Verified account @DoliaEstevez
Replying to @keegan_hamilton
Hi Keegan, yesterday you said it was day 34. Today day 36. Can you pls clarify? Thanks. .
5:22 AM - 29 Jan 2019
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[YESorNO]

Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 6h6 hours ago
CHAPO'S DEFENSE RESTS. The defense's case - consisting of one very uncomfortable FBI agent and a stipulation - lasted about 30 minutes. (The prosecution had 56 witnesses.) "And judge, with that the defense rests." Tomorrow, we return for the government's closing argument.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 6h6 hours ago
The defense's singular witness, Paul F. Roberts Jr., testified to an interview with Jorge Cifuentes (remember him) in which Jorge said that a U.S. naval intelligence officer had shown him a USB drive complete with tapes and charts documenting an ongoing investigation into him.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 6h6 hours ago
The defense's witness (while tangential) goes to the defense's main argument: that Chapo is not the only guilty party and that both Mexican AND American government corruption feeds the cartel lifeline. Prosecutors have actively fought this narrative, sealing and redacting memos.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 6h6 hours ago
The FBI agent noted: "It surprised me that evidence in an ongoing investigation would be shown to a defendant outside a court procedure."


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 6h6 hours ago
Although the defense's case rested in 30 minutes, it was pocked with objections: at least 18 from the prosecution, while the defense objected at least 15 minutes to questions asked on cross. The FBI agent (the sole notetaker in an interview with Jorge Cifuentes) appeared on edge.
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[YESorNO]

Emily Saul Retweeted
Lia Eustachewich‏Verified account @liaeustach 4h4 hours ago
There is a light at the end of @Emily_Saul_'s tunnel. @nypost Defense rests in El Chapo trial after calling just one witness

https://nypost.com/2019/01/29/defense-rests-in-el-chapo-trial-after-calling-just-one-witness/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons … @nypmetro


Defense rests in El Chapo trial after calling just one witness

January 29, 2019

"The defense case for notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman lasted less than 30 minutes Tuesday — a stark contrast to the 11-week, 54-witness case put on by prosecutors.

“And with that, the defense rests,” Guzman lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman said at 10:08 a.m. after calling a single witness and reading a single stipulation into the record.

The defense case entirely focused on two cooperating witnesses, brothers Jorge and Alex Cifuentes, who testified they supplied cocaine and worked with Chapo during the 2000s.

FBI agent Paul Roberts Jr. took the stand to testify that Jorge Cifuentes told him in 2017 that a US naval intelligence officer visited the Colombian cocaine supplier, and inexplicably produced a USB drive containing information about American investigations.

Lichtman attempted to get the agent to say he was “surprised” that US federal officers were “crooked,” but the questions were objected to and sustained...."

https://nypost.com/2019/01/29/defen...medium=site buttons&utm_campaign=site buttons
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[YESorNO]

Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 3h3 hours ago
El Chapo’s attorneys called just one witness to the stand this morning, questioning him for less than 30 mins, before resting their case.

For context: the government called a total of 56 witnesses over 11 weeks to help map out Chapo’s 25 years as head of the Sinaloa Cartel.


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 3h3 hours ago
The government will deliver closings in the morning & the defense on Thurs.

If jurors unanimously find Chapo committed at least 3 of the 27 violations included in the top count, leading a continuing criminal enterprise, among certain other elements, he will face life in prison.


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 3h3 hours ago
But even if Chapo’s acquitted, he ain’t going back to the Sierra Madre. He faces charges in Illinois, Texas, California, and New Hampshire.


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 2h2 hours ago
In his closings, @NYCDefenseLaw is free to paint El Mayo as top dog of the cartel, “What they can’t do," Cogan said, "is attack the government’s” motives for prosecuting Chapo.

Cogan said Chapo's attys have shown “zero evidence” Mayo bribed the gov to “pin a target” on his back


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 2h2 hours ago
But whether Lichtman wants to argue Mayo benefitted from El Chapo’s larger-than-life, somewhat mythical status is up to him, the judge said.

“It’s quite another thing to say this is a conspiracy between Zambada, the Mexican government and perhaps the United States government."


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 2h2 hours ago
As it stands, the 7 women and 5 men tasked with deciding Chapo’s fate could begin deliberating — and in theory, finish — by Friday.

Cogan seems to think they’re up to it.

“This jury, with a couple exceptions, they really focused on the case.”


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 51m51 minutes ago
A tunnel is a tunnel is a tunnel.

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[YESorNO]

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
A day after the prosecution in the Chapo trial rested its epic, 10-week presentation to the jury, Chapo's lawyer, Jeff Lichtman, mounted a defense of the kingpin.
It took exactly 30 minutes and consisted of one witness and a single stipulation.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
The witness was an FBI agent called (for hard to fathom reasons) to explain his own small role in obtaining a piece of evidence that wasn't even directly related to Chapo. At issue: whether a US or Colombian naval intelligence officer gave sensitive info to a witness in the case.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
Other evidence to the contrary the agent's notes from interviewing the witness, the drug lord Jorge Cifuentes, said it was a US intel officer. That may allow Lichtman to argue to the jury (as he did in openings) that the US & Mexico conspired vs. Chapo w/his partner Mayo Zambada.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
Then again, Lichtman might not be able to argue this conspiracy again. Late last night, the government filed a motion to preclude just such an argument saying it was "preposterous" and not supported by the evidence.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
The stipulation?
It certified that from 2007-2013 Chapo was in debt to the tune of $20 million. Hard to see how that's dispositive of his innocence but it does allow Lichtman to argue that Chapo wasn't always the billionaire narco lord he was said to be.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
There was never really a defense for Chapo to begin with and the 30-minute jury case proves it better than anything. Judge Cogan shut down several possible avenues and the mountainous evidence against the kingpin shut down the rest.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
Then again, given that the lawyers never stood a chance of winning the case, they had nothing to lose.
Why did they take it in the first place? How do you not at least try to defend one of the most famous criminals on the planet? It's what top-notch defense lawyers do.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
We know very little about how much--or even how, for that matter--the lawyers were paid. They have not spoken about it publicly. The govt has a multi-billion dollar forfeiture claim against Chapo so it remains unclear where his assets are and how much will be tied up by the feds.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
But we do know that some of the lawyers worked without being paid for a while. Even with the virtual certainty of a conviction, it's the case of a lifetime for any lawyer. The fact that there was almost nothing they could do in the courtroom doesn't really change that fact.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3h3 hours ago
As the Chapo trial speeds toward a verdict, I want to say it's been a pleasure and an honor sharing these insane moments w/@keegan_hamilton. He knows better than most that there were far more than just 10 of them.

The 10 wildest moments and stories from El Chapo’s trial


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 39m39 minutes ago
Beyond attacking the credibility of a small army of government witnesses, there wasn't much El Chapo's lawyers could do to defend him.

El Chapo’s Defense? It Lasted Just 30 Minutes

January 29, 2019

El Chapo’s Defense? It Lasted Just 30 Minutes

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[AzPistonsGirl]

yes, thank you again @YESorNO for all of this concise info right here for whenever we have time to come read it all. And what good reading this is!