chicago — Snapchat messages from a man from Chicago accused From incitement to kill a senior Border Guard Commander The case, which was inadvertently forwarded to a government informant, took center stage Wednesday on the opening day of the man’s federal trial.
Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, faces a murder-for-hire charge in the first criminal trial stemming from the crime. Immigration campaign Which began last year in and around the country’s third-largest city. It is the latest test of the credibility of the Trump administration’s accounts of the Chicago operation.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Espinoza Martinez was a member of a gang that had placed a $10,000 bounty on the man’s life. Gregory Bovinoa border guard official who led aggressive and controversial campaigns across the country, most recently in Minnesota.
But defense attorneys said Espinoza Martinez, a carpenter who had about $20 in his bank account, sent messages that amounted to “neighborhood rumors” to his brother and a friend who turned out to be a government informant.
The Snapchats came in October when the Chicago area was seeing a surge in federal immigration officers. Arrests, protests and confrontations with agents were common throughout the city of 2.7 million and its surrounding suburbs, especially in densely populated areas of the Mexican city. Small village neighborhood Where Espinoza Martinez lived.
“This case is not about prosecuting someone for expressing strong, or even angry, opinions about immigration enforcement policy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Minjie Shin told the jury during opening statements. “Make no mistake, the evidence in this case will show that what the defendant did was not a joke, he was not just talking, and he was not blowing off steam behind a keyboard.”
Defense lawyers said the messages were merely a repost of details already on Facebook.
Defense lawyer Jonathan Bedi told the jury: “He is not guilty because repeating neighborhood gossip is not a crime.” “Repeating neighborhood gossip does not mean a murder has been committed.”
Federal prosecutors initially referred to Espinoza Martinez as a “high-ranking member” of the Latin Kings, but prosecutors’ lack of evidence led to a U.S. boycott. Judge Joan Lefkow To prevent testimony about a Chicago street gang at trial. According to the criminal complaint, Espinoza Martinez allegedly sent messages on behalf of the gang to other gang members.
One recipient of the Snapchats was Adrian Jimenez, a 44-year-old man who owns a construction company and has been in contact with Espinoza Martinez via Snapchat about work in the past year. Jimenez, the government’s first witness, was previously identified in the criminal complaint as an unidentified “source of information.”
Snapchat images were shown on screens in court. “10k if you drop it,” one read, along with a photo of Bovino. Some of the letters were sent in Spanish but were translated into English for the court.
Jimenez, who had back pain and walked with a limp to the witness chair, testified that he took the text messages seriously and shared them with a Department of Homeland Security investigator he knew. He also revealed that he had previously been paid for his work as a government informant but did not remember the amount or agency.
Defense attorneys noted that Jimenez, who asked for help getting out of the witness chair, had long had medical problems. They also raised questions about whether Jimenez interpreted Snapchat as a solicitation.
“You’re not someone who would commit murder for hire, are you?” asked defense attorney Dina Singer.
“No,” Jimenez replied.
Bovino and the Trump administration have held up the case as an example of the increasing risks federal immigration agents face, especially threats from gangs. However, several federal lawsuits in Chicago have raised doubts about DHS’s calculations.
Of the nearly 30 criminal cases stemming from Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area, charges were dropped or dismissed in about half. In another high-profile lawsuit that forced Bovino’s ouster, a federal judge found He lied under oath including alleged gang threats.
Bovino was not expected to testify at Espinoza Martinez’s trial.
Espinoza Martinez, who was born in Mexico, wore a dark suit and tie on the court. He has lived in the United States for years, but does not have legal permission to remain in the country.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.