A man accused of offering a $10,000 bounty via Snapchat for the life of a senior Border Patrol leader has been acquitted, marking the conclusion of the first criminal trial to emerge from last year's immigration crackdown in the Chicago area.
Jurors deliberated for less than four hours before delivering a not guilty verdict for Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37.
He had faced a single count of murder-for-hire, which carried a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The federal trial, where testimony lasted only a few hours, served as a significant test of the then-administration's credibility regarding federal immigration surges that have been implemented across the United States.
Espinoza Martinez, dressed in a suit and tie, listened intently with his arms crossed. Following the court's adjournment, he embraced his legal team and shook their hands.
Both defense attorneys and prosecutors declined to comment to reporters gathered in the lobby of the federal court in downtown Chicago.
Jurors also chose not to speak.
The prosecution's case centered on Snapchat messages sent by Espinoza Martinez to his younger brother and a friend who was, unbeknownst to him, a government informant. One message reportedly stated, "10k if u take him down," accompanied by a picture of Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official known for leading aggressive crackdowns, including those in the Chicago region.
During closing arguments, First Assistant US Attorney Jason Yonan told jurors, "Those words do not indicate that this was a joke. Those words have meaning. They are not innocent and harmless words."
However, defense attorneys argued that the government failed to present sufficient evidence against Espinoza Martinez, suggesting he sent the messages as "neighbourhood gossip" after returning home from work and relaxing with beers.
They highlighted his lack of follow-up on the exchanges and his minimal bank balance.
His defense attorney, Dena Singer, told jurors, "Sending a message about gossip that you heard in the neighbourhood, it’s not murder for hire. It’s not a federal crime."
Neither Singer’s office, the US attorney's office in Chicago, nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment after the verdict.
In court, prosecutors had accused Espinoza Martinez of being "fixated and obsessed" with Bovino, citing other messages where he criticized the immigration crackdown.
Espinoza Martinez was arrested in October amidst a surge of federal immigration officers in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Protests and standoffs with agents were common, particularly in the heavily Mexican Little Village neighbourhood where he resided.
He did not testify during his trial. However, attorneys played excerpts from his interview with law enforcement, where he expressed confusion about the charges and stated he sent the messages without much thought while scrolling social media after work.
"I didn’t threaten anyone," he told investigators, switching between English and Spanish. "I’m not saying that I was telling them to do it."
Born in Mexico, Espinoza Martinez has lived in Chicago for many years but does not hold citizenship.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had previously publicized Espinoza Martinez’s arrest on social media, sharing unredacted photos of his face and labelling him a "depraved" gang member. Bovino has frequently cited the case as an example of the increasing dangers faced by federal agents.
Yet, several federal lawsuits in Chicago have cast doubt on DHS’s narratives. Approximately half of the 30 criminal cases stemming from "Operation Midway Blitz" have seen charges dismissed or dropped. In a notable separate lawsuit, a federal judge found Bovino had lied under oath, including about alleged gang threats. Bovino did not testify at Espinoza Martinez’s trial.
Nationwide, dozens of criminal cases linked to immigration operations have similarly collapsed.
Federal prosecutors initially described Espinoza Martinez as a "ranking member" of the Latin Kings gang, but a lack of evidence led US District Judge Joan Lefkow to prohibit testimony regarding the Chicago street gang at trial. The criminal complaint had alleged Espinoza Martinez sent messages on behalf of the gang to other members.
During the trial, there were only minor references to the gang, including Espinoza Martinez’s statement in his interview that he had no involvement with the Latin Kings. His brother, Oscar, testified that he perceived the Snapchat messages as a joke, similar to content he had already seen on Facebook.
Singer highlighted weaknesses in the government’s case, particularly during the testimony of their first witness, Adrian Jimenez. Jimenez, 44, a construction company owner, had communicated with Espinoza Martinez via Snapchat about work. Unbeknownst to Espinoza Martinez, Jimenez had also served as a paid government informant for years after a felony prison sentence, and he shared the Snapchats with a federal investigator.
Jimenez, who suffers from back problems, walked slowly and with a limp to the witness chair, requiring assistance to stand. Singer questioned his suitability for a murder plot, asking jurors: "Would you solicit for hire an individual that was in that much pain and could barely walk? That doesn’t make any sense."
