Hello from the Eastern District of New York, where Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is set to plead guilty today.

Stay tuned for updates on this thread…
El Mayo's hearing just ended — he entered his guilty plea. He now faces a mandatory life sentence and was ordered by the judge to forfeit $15 billion.

NEW: Federal prosecutors file sentencing memo in case of Genaro García Luna

"It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of the defendant’s crimes, the deaths and addiction he facilitated, and his betrayal of the people of Mexico and the United States."

documentcloud.org/documents/2516…
What bribes to Genaro García Luna got the Sinaloa Cartel:

"One senior Cartel member testified that payments to the defendant allowed Cartel members to 'go around freely … set up and take down checkpoints however we wanted to, whenever we wanted to.'"

I just received a handwritten letter from Genaro Garcia Luna, sent by his lawyer.

Facing a life sentence for narco-corruption after his conviction last year in Brooklyn, he maintains his innocence and says he rejected a post-arrest deal that would have given him 6 months…
🧵👇





English translation via Garcia Luna's attorney:

"I was repeatedly offered a deal with the New York Attorney's Office to charge me with crimes related to drug trafficking in exchange for being detained for a short time (6 months) and receive financial benefits…"

Hello from the trial of Genaro García Luna, where jury deliberations are set to start this morning.

My story @VICENews on why he's got a shot at beating the charges and winning an acquittal or hung jury…

vice.com/en/article/bvm… The odds do not favor García Luna. Statistically speaking, he's probably going to be found guilty:

"only 320 of 79,704 total federal defendants – fewer than 1% – went to trial and won their cases, at least in the form of an acquittal"

pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019…

Good morning from the trial of Genaro García Luna.

The government and defense rested their cases yesterday, so now it's time for closing statements.

The fate of Mexico's former top law enforcement officer will soon be in the hands of 12 Brooklyn jurors… Closing statement currently underway by lead prosecutor Saritha Komatireddy. She's methodically walking the jury through the case, pointing out ways in which cooperators have corroborated each other's stories, showing excerpts of testimony on a screen for the jury to review.

Hello again from the Genaro Garcia Luna trial.

Today is likely the last day of testimony, with the government set to rest its case and the defense expected to call just one witness.

The morning will start with more cross-examination of Rey Zambada.

Stay tuned for updates… New story out this morning on the DEA in Mexico…

👀👇

https://twitter.com/keegan_hamilton/status/1625471768432373761?s=20&t=8Hh-M67KEW9-GuTdr14CAQ

Several Genaro García Luna documents from earlier in the trial were unsealed today. This one shows prosecutors wanted to ask him about:

"efforts to pay for positive media specifically to tamp down reporting related to his association with El Chapo" Also about "deceptive financial conduct in which the defendant used corporate shell companies and third parties to purchase property, pay employees, and pay personal expenses for himself and his family, specifically for the purpose of concealing the true source of the funds"

Good morning from the trial of Genaro Garcia Luna in Brooklyn.

This could be the last day of testimony, with El Mayo’s brother Rey Zambada expected to take the stand.

Stay tuned for updates on this thread… Protestor outside the courthouse holding a picture of Garcia Luna with Hillary Clinton and signs saying “Obama and Calderon knew”

Hello from Brooklyn and another day in the trial of Genaro Garcia Luna.

Prosecutors have said to expect a short day today, and that the government could rest its case by early next week.

Stay tuned for updates… Trial just wrapped for the day with a discussion about scheduling — prosecutors said they could be done calling witnesses by Monday.

The defense suggested García Luna could testify in his own defense: "We're trying to figure out what the plan is," Cesar de Castro said.

Hello again from the trial of Genaro Garcia Luna in Brooklyn.

Yesterday we heard about hush money allegedly paid to Mexico’s largest newspaper to cover up corruption at the highest level of government. What will today bring? Here is the invoice shown the jury yesterday for a payment of 11.5 million pesos from Coahuila's government to El Universal, allegedly on behalf of Genaro García Luna

Hello again from the trial of Genaro Garcia Luna. This will be week 3 of testimony against Mexico’s former top law enforcement official accused of narco-corruption.

So far we’ve heard from several ex-Sinaloa Cartel members. Stay tuned for updates today… Last night the defense filed a motion seeking to block testimony about Garcia Luna allegedly paying bribes to Mexican newspaper El Universal to suppress negative stories about his alleged corruption…

Hello from day 5 of Genaro García Luna’s trial in Brooklyn.

Expecting a full day of testimony from “El Grande,” an ex-cop and cartel boss who described rampant corruption at every level of the Mexican police.

Stay tuned for updates @VICENews…

vice.com/en/article/epz… Just a bit chilly this morning outside the courthouse… 🥶

Good morning from day 4 of Genaro García Luna’s trial.

Opening statements set for this morning, followed by the first witness. Will it be the person allegedly involved in cannibalism, or the one who believes in aliens?

Stay tuned…

vice.com/en/article/88q… @VICENews Opening arguments just concluded — prosecutors focused on Garcia Luna's alleged role as the enabler of the Sinaloa Cartel. Defense plays up lack of hard evidence linking defendant to bribes.

García Luna sat stone-faced, looking jurors in the eye as each side made arguments.

BREAKING update in the Genaro García Luna trial — Judge Cogan just issued a ruling that reveals the names of multiple potential cooperating witnesses, including:

-Rey Zambada
-Sergio Villarreal Barragán aka El Grande
-Edgar Veytia aka El Diablo

Thread…
documentcloud.org/documents/2357… Here, Judge Cogan appears to reference Sergio Villarreal Barragán, a former top lieutenant in the Beltrán-Leyva Organization.

He was arrested in Mexico in 2010 (when García Luna still in office) and extradited to the US in 2012.

Good morning from day 3 of jury selection in the trial of Genaro García Luna.

Stay tuned for updates on the case of Mexico’s highest-ranking law enforcement official ever to face prosecution in the US for narco-corruption…

vice.com/en/article/z34… @VICENews García Luna is accused of taking multi-million dollar bribes from El Chapo and the Sinaloa Cartel.

@LuisKuryaki just visited the ransacked home of Chapo's son Ovidio following his chaotic and violent capture by the Mexican military…

vice.com/en/article/7k8… @VICENews

Hello from day 2 of jury selection in the Genaro García Luna trial.

Prosecutors have indicated their case will hinge on cooperating witness testimony. Will we hear about Felipe Calderón? Or why the DEA was so oblivious?

My trial preview @VICENews…

vice.com/en/article/z34… ICYMI, here's my thread from the first day of jury selection yesterday. One interesting detail: Multiple potential jurors told the court they disapprove of the war on drugs, calling it a failure or futile.

https://twitter.com/keegan_hamilton/status/1615303465411960832

Hello from the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, where the trial of Genaro García Luna is set to start today.

A half dozen reporters have already arrived at 6am ET to get seats in the courtroom.

My trial preview @VICENews…

vice.com/en/article/z34… On lunch break from jury selection — mostly uneventful so far, just lots of folks trying to come up with excuses to avoid an 8-week trial.

Several people have expressed skepticism about cooperating witnesses: "I figured they could lie to get a lesser sentence," one said.

I first met Danny Elliott over two years ago, after he lost access to pain medication because the DEA raided his doctor's office in Georgia.

This month, it happened again. Now Danny and his wife Gretchen are dead by suicide.

Their story @VICENews:

vice.com/en/article/wxn… Danny's story was featured in our podcast series Painkiller. Listen to him speak in his own words about his struggle with chronic pain caused by an electrical shock injury, and how he found relief through fentanyl:

open.spotify.com/episode/5s7WyH… @VICENews

Genaro García Luna has a court date tomorrow in Brooklyn, but prosecutors just told the judge that the US Marshals are "unable to transport the defendant for an in-person appearance."

No details as to why, hearing may still be held with GGL joining by phone or video from jail… This is the second time that the US Marshals and MDC jail in Brooklyn have failed to make Genaro García Luna available for a court appearance. Routine dysfunction more likely than mysterious drama as the explanation…

https://twitter.com/keegan_hamilton/status/1468633965888098304?s=20&t=uINFqvbnJgCVSfSb9fzkUQ

Genaro García Luna, Mexico's former security chief accused of taking millions worth of bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel, is set to appear in federal court in Brooklyn for a status conference in just a few minutes.

Stay tuned for updates on this thread… The agenda for today's hearing:

-Status of evidence handed over for pretrial discovery. Prosecutors have already given the defense "more than 1 million pages of documents"

-Prosecutors requested an anonymous jury, just like in the El Chapo case. Defense has yet to respond.

Update on Emma Coronel Aispuro, wife of El Chapo:

Just filed in Washington, DC federal court — she waives her right to a preliminary hearing, still has not entered a plea to the charges against her. The situation here as last reported Feb 25. — waiving a preliminary hearing is not unusual, a few ways the case could proceed from here…

vice.com/en/article/qjp…