Mica for cartelinsider.com
Criminal defense lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman stated on July 30, 2024, that his client Joaquín Guzmán López, also known as “El Güero Moreno,” 38 years of age, son of Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo,” did not make a deal with the US government to hand over Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael Mario Zambada García, alias “El Mayo,” 76 years of age.
“In statements quoted by the newspaper The Chicago Tribune, the litigant said that Guzmán López had a clear understanding of his legal situation. “He’s someone I can identify with. Just like I identified with his father, just like I identified with Ovidio [alias ‘El Ratón’],” he stated.
“We have no agreement with the Government [of the United States]. There has never been a deal between the [US] Government and Joaquín Guzmán López. Period,” Lichtman said to representatives from various media outlets.
However, according to the CNN chain, the criminal lawyer acknowledged that “El Güero Moreno” could face the death penalty, since although the state of Illinois, where the Federal District Court of Northern Chicago was located, abolished said sentence in 2011, Guzmán López could be transferred to court for his trial.
“El Güero Moreno”, 38 years old, one of the alleged leaders of “Los Chapitos”, “Los Menores” and/or “Los Chiquillos”, pleaded not guilty, on July 30, 2024, before Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman, in Room 1719, of the Federal Court of the Northern District of Illinois, in Chicago, for charges of trafficking large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs, as well as money laundering, possession of weapons and violent crimes.
Accompanied by his lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, the son of the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel listened to each of the charges that the US Government was accusing him of.
Guzmán López appeared in Federal Court, dressed in an orange prison suit and with his hands cuffed. The son of “El Chapo” told Johnson Coleman that he spoke English fluently, so he declined the assistance of a Spanish interpreter.
The son of “El Chapo” answered in English to the questions asked by the federal judge, to whom he also stated that he was undergoing treatment for his thyroid and high blood pressure problems. Afterwards, the young drug trafficker pleaded not guilty. This was reported by several media outlets and American journalists, such as Jason Meisner, a reporter for The Chicago Tribune.
“It was not mentioned in court the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García, who is alleged to have been forcefully turned over to the United States by Guzmán López,” added the journalist from the aforementioned newspaper.
Johnson Coleman is the same judge and the same Federal Court where the appearances of Ovidio Guzmán López, alias “El Ratón”, brother of “El Güero Moreno” and also son of the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, were taking place.
The date of his first appearance had already been brought forward by his lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, to the CNN network, in an email on Saturday, July 27, 2024. “I will be with him at the Court on Tuesday in Chicago,” said the litigant.
“Lichtman -who also represented the father of Guzmán López, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo”-, stated that the hearing for “El Güero Moreno” was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. -local time- on July 30, 2024.”
Lichtman gained notoriety for defending alleged mafia boss John “Junior” Gotti, and has a record of having litigated four trials for racketeering, all of which ended in mistrials.
The litigant accepted that his client was the leader of the Gambino family since 1992, however, they maintained that he left a life of crime after being convicted for illicit enrichment in 1999, and in the 2000s he managed to get acquitted of charges of extortion.
According to data from the US Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the son of “El Chapo” was being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, Illinois (MCC Chicago), with registration number 08260-506. This was the same prison where his brother “El Ratón” was admitted on September 15, 2023, after being extradited to the United States.
On July 26, 2024, Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General of the United States, announced that Guzmán Loera was charged in that country for trafficking large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other drugs.
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Mica
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3 Comments
Paragraph four where the “face the death penalty” conjecture is introduced is ann interesting read. Illinois is a state. Your article implies that state law is above federal law. Guzmán is being tried in Federal Court not Illinois state court. Illinois state law, no death penalty has no bearing on this trial, what federal district(s) he is prosecuted in or what penalty a federal court imposes per federal law and DOJ guidelines.
Is there an actual statement from the DOJ saying they plan to pursue this as a capital case?
They are having a melt down on reddiots
He should most definitely get the death sentences for all the crimes committed in all the various districts, regions, and states that he operated.
The death toll is way over a half a million people in the USA (citizens).
The dumb motherfuckers in Mexico think that they are immune from prosecution and stuff because they are Mexicans 🤣🤣😂🐦🔥✅. (Do you put the period before or after the emoji icons?)
They are about as stupid as the Mexicans who do not think they are white.
What is the defense in court: “I didn’t force anybody or make them buy my fake fetty pills and powders?” “It’s not my fault…”