Chicago Man's Bounty on U.S. Border Patrol Commander May Not Prove Gang Ties
A Chicago man accused of putting a $10,000 bounty on the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino will not have his alleged ties to the Latin Kings gang proven by federal prosecutors if his case goes to trial later this month.
Instead, they plan to show "affinity" for the gang, which could give context to social media messages allegedly used to further a plot against the immigration official. The defense attorney claims that's a "big pullback" and argues that prosecutors are relying on "shockingly thin" evidence, including the location of Espinoza Martinez's home in Little Village.
Martinez's lawyer, Jonathan Bedi, says it's "atrocious" and that his client intends to testify. A contentious trial is set to begin at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in less than two weeks, marking the first case from the feds' Operation Midway Blitz deportation campaign.
The trial will be a major test for federal prosecutors, who have already charged 31 people with non-immigration crimes tied to the campaign but dropped charges against 14. No one has been convicted yet. The Justice Department has even cited allegations against Martinez before the U.S. Supreme Court, prompting Justice Samuel Alito's dissenting opinion.
The trial could also be a "pretty dicey situation" for jury selection, given how recently Bovino and his fellow agents have appeared in Chicago. U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow says jurors need to set aside their views on immigration and Border Patrol, as both are part of the community.
Prosecutors plan to ask potential jurors about their opinions on the feds' immigration campaign, while Martinez's co-counsel, Dena Singer, has asked the judge to bar evidence that his home is in Latin King territory. The case will determine whether prosecutors can prove Martinez was involved with the gang beyond a reasonable doubt.
A Chicago man accused of putting a $10,000 bounty on the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino will not have his alleged ties to the Latin Kings gang proven by federal prosecutors if his case goes to trial later this month.
Instead, they plan to show "affinity" for the gang, which could give context to social media messages allegedly used to further a plot against the immigration official. The defense attorney claims that's a "big pullback" and argues that prosecutors are relying on "shockingly thin" evidence, including the location of Espinoza Martinez's home in Little Village.
Martinez's lawyer, Jonathan Bedi, says it's "atrocious" and that his client intends to testify. A contentious trial is set to begin at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in less than two weeks, marking the first case from the feds' Operation Midway Blitz deportation campaign.
The trial will be a major test for federal prosecutors, who have already charged 31 people with non-immigration crimes tied to the campaign but dropped charges against 14. No one has been convicted yet. The Justice Department has even cited allegations against Martinez before the U.S. Supreme Court, prompting Justice Samuel Alito's dissenting opinion.
The trial could also be a "pretty dicey situation" for jury selection, given how recently Bovino and his fellow agents have appeared in Chicago. U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow says jurors need to set aside their views on immigration and Border Patrol, as both are part of the community.
Prosecutors plan to ask potential jurors about their opinions on the feds' immigration campaign, while Martinez's co-counsel, Dena Singer, has asked the judge to bar evidence that his home is in Latin King territory. The case will determine whether prosecutors can prove Martinez was involved with the gang beyond a reasonable doubt.
And now they're trying to say "affinity" for the Latin Kings is proof of ties? Get real! 
They're gonna try to sneak that one by the jury and it's gonna be a total farce. I mean, what does that even mean? Are they saying Martinez just likes the colors red and white because his old homies from Little Village like 'em? 
Give me a break!
This whole thing just feels so messed up 
. I mean, a guy puts a bounty on some dude and suddenly he's not going to be held accountable? 
It's like they're playing with fire 
and trying to figure out how to put it out without getting burned themselves. And now they're using social media messages as evidence? 
That's just not enough, in my opinion. They need hard proof, like actual connections to the gang or something. 
I'm also worried about the jury selection process - can we really separate our opinions on immigration and Border Patrol from this case? 
. what if he was just trying to get attention? or maybe he was just bored 
check out this link: 
i got my fingers crossed dat justice gets served but at da same time, im worried bout how dis whole thing gonna go down 
and i heard operation midway blitz has had some problems... it's like, can't we just let people live in peace without deportation campaigns 
The fact that they're going to show his social media messages as context is just a weak attempt to link him to the Latin Kings. And what's with the location of his home being used as evidence? That's like trying to convict someone based on where their house is in relation to the neighborhood, not their actual actions or behavior.
. How can they prove his connections beyond a reasonable doubt without concrete evidence? 
. They're already dealing with dropped charges and public scrutiny, so let's see how it all plays out! 
and now they're trying to show his "affinity" for the latin kings gang by looking at his social media messages? come on, how does that even work as evidence? 
. If Espinoza Martinez's phone records show he's been liking posts about Border Patrol on social media, that doesn't necessarily mean he's trying to take down the guy - maybe he just really hates the Bears or something 
... seems like a case of "we can't convict, so we'll just charge everyone" 
. I mean, $10k bounty on a high-ranking official? That's just crazy talk 
. And now they're trying to prove 'affinity' for the Latin Kings instead of actual ties? It sounds like the prosecutors are just winging it 
. I'm not saying Martinez is innocent, but come on, can't we get a real investigation here? 
Espinoza Martinez's lawyer thinks they're relying on weak sauce 
and his client is gonna come out swinging 
to me. The fact that they brought up the U.S. Supreme Court already is just shady 
? It's not right 
. I hope this trial doesn't get too heated 
