Chicago, Illinois — A federal jury on Thursday found Juan Espinoza Martinez not guilty of charges alleging he offered a $10,000 bounty for the killing of a top U.S. Border Patrol official, concluding that prosecutors failed to prove criminal intent behind Snapchat messages cited in the case.
Jurors deliberated for less than four hours before acquitting the 37-year-old Chicago resident, who faced a murder-for-hire charge carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. The case stemmed from messages Espinoza Martinez sent over Snapchat that referenced “10k” alongside a photo of Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol leader associated with aggressive immigration enforcement operations.
Prosecutors argued the messages constituted a serious solicitation, with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Yonan telling jurors the language was neither harmless nor joking. The defense countered that the messages reflected neighborhood gossip rather than a genuine plot, emphasizing that no money was exchanged, no weapons were involved, and no follow-up occurred.
Defense attorney Dena Singer told jurors that Espinoza Martinez was casually repeating talk he had heard in his neighborhood while unwinding after work. She noted that her client had only a few dollars in his bank account and lacked any means to carry out such a crime. U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow also barred testimony about alleged gang ties after prosecutors failed to substantiate those claims.
The verdict marks another setback for federal prosecutors tied to recent immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area.
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