Chicago Man Acquitted in Bounty Case Targeting Border Patrol Leader
In the first criminal trial stemming from a Chicago-area immigration crackdown, Juan Espinoza Martinez was found not guilty of murder-for-hire charges related to Snapchat messages offering a bounty for a Border Patrol leader. The government presented Snapchat messages from Espinoza Martinez, including one offering $10,000 to “take him down,” yet the defense argued the messages were neighborhood gossip and that the government lacked sufficient evidence. The case was part of a larger crackdown, and the verdict followed a trial that raised questions about the credibility of the Department of Homeland Security’s narratives surrounding the immigration operations.
John Q. Hosedrinker