An Illinois judge has again postponer a hearing in the trial of cartel leader Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Concretely, judge Sharon Johnson Coleman set the new date for July 15. Infobae reported that the hearing is expected to take place a week after Guzman Lopez pleads guilty before the judge following a reported deal with authorities.
The development comes days after U.S. prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty for Guzman Lopez should he be convicted. U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros informed the decision with a one-sentence notice in late May.
Earlier in May, more than a dozen of their relatives voluntarily surrendered to U.S. authorities at the San Ysidro border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego, a move that was linked to the potential plea deal.
Jeffrey Lichtman, lawyer for the Guzman brothers and their father, denied the crossing was a result of the plea deal. However, he did not deny the deal. However, Mexican investigative journalist Anabel Hernández said the surrenders may be linked to "valuable" information that El Chapo's sons have already shared with U.S. officials.
Hernández said in an interview that evidence provided includes video recordings of cash deliveries, which she said are part of material included in the plea agreements.
"Joaquín and his brothers recorded people when they handed over money — just like El Chapo Guzmán," Hernández said. "Where are the videos El Chapo recorded?" she asked, suggesting his sons continued the practice.
Hernández added that the information shared by Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán is so significant that the U.S. government agreed to relocate their mother, Griselda, along with 16 other relatives, and offer them protection in the U.S.
"The U.S. government doesn't just say, 'Sure, bring your friends over, don't worry. Just tell me, Ovidio, who you want, and I'll make it happen.' No. The accused criminals — in this case, Ovidio and Joaquín — are already cooperating and have provided very valuable information," Hernández added.
The journalist also claimed the information shared by Los Chapitos could implicate high-profile political figures, including former presidents Felipe Calderón, Enrique Peña Nieto and Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
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