Man Acquitted of Murder-for-Hire Charge in Plot Allegedly Targeting Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino
Juan Espinoza Martinez found NOT GUILTY in Chicago trial accusing him of planning a murder-for-hire plot targeting Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino
A federal jury has acquitted a Chicago man accused of placing a bounty on the head of Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino as he spearheaded the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement operations across the city and beyond last fall.
A 12-person jury reached its verdict Thursday afternoon in the case of Juan Espinoza Martinez, a Little Village resident who was charged in a murder-for-hire plot after prosecutors alleged he offered $10,000 for someone to kill Bovino.
They deliberated for approximately three hours in the rapidly unfolding trial, which featured testimony from just four witnesses in a case where the verdict was announced just a day after opening statements began.
Espinoza Martinez, 37, was arrested on the murder-for-hire charge in October, weeks after the Trump administration launched its “Operation Midway Blitz” enforcement plan — led by Bovino — targeting northern Illinois.
His was the first criminal case stemming from “Midway Blitz” to go to trial in Chicago’s federal court building.
The verdict marks a blow both for federal prosecutors and the Trump administration, which had touted the allegations as a sign of the dangers facing federal immigration agents conducting expanded enforcement operations across the country.
When he was charged, prosecutors alleged Espinoza Martinez was a “ranking member” of the Latin Kings street gang, while a Homeland Security spokesperson labeled him a “depraved individual” and a “thug.”
Prosecutors later backed off the gang allegations and U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow barred any testimony regarding Espinoza Martinez’s alleged connections to the Latin Kings from trial.
Espinoza Martinez was accused of sending a Snapchat message to his brother and an acquaintance that included a photo of Bovino along with the message “2k on information when you get him” and “10k if u take him down.”
