Snapchats central to trial in Border Patrol murder-for-hire case

A Chicago man went on trial Wednesday for allegedly soliciting a $10,000 bounty on Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino using Snapchat messages, in the first criminal trial stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the nation’s third-largest city.

The case tests the Trump administration’s claims about dangers facing federal immigration agents. Court records show roughly half of the 30 criminal cases stemming from the enforcement operation have had charges dropped or dismissed, and a federal judge previously found Bovino made false statements under oath about alleged gang threats.

Federal prosecutors told jurors Wednesday that Snapchat messages sent by Juan Espinoza Martinez constitute a genuine threat against a Border Patrol official. The defense argued the messages amount to nothing more than joking.

Competing Narratives at Opening

“This case is not about someone being on trial for expressing strong, even angry views about immigration enforcement policy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Minje Shin said during opening statements. “Make no mistake, the evidence in this case will show that what the defendant did was not a joke, was not just him mouthing off, was not him blowing off steam behind a keyboard.”

Defense attorney Jonathan Bedi presented a different interpretation. “Repeating neighborhood gossip is not a crime,” he said of his client. “Repeating neighborhood gossip is not intending to go commit a murder.”

The messages at the center of the dispute came in October as the Chicago area experienced a surge in federal immigration enforcement operations. One Snapchat read in part “10k if u take him down,” accompanied by a picture of Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official.

The Witness and Credibility Questions

Adrian Jimenez, a 44-year-old construction company owner, received the Snapchats. Prosecutors say he and Espinoza Martinez had communicated over Snapchat about work in the previous year. Jimenez testified that he took the messages seriously and reported them to a Homeland Security investigator he knew.

Under cross-examination, Jimenez disclosed that he had been convicted of a felony, served prison time, and had previously been paid by the government as an informant. Defense attorneys raised questions about his credibility and his interpretation of the messages.

“You’re not somebody that commits murder for hire, right?” defense attorney Dena Singer asked Jimenez. “Nope,” he answered.

Espinoza Martinez’s younger brother, Oscar, testified for the defense. He said he saw a Facebook post about a $10,000 bounty an hour before receiving Juan’s Snapchats. He took the messages as a joke.

“Nobody’s going to do that for $10K,” Oscar Espinoza Martinez said.

The Defendant’s Circumstances

Espinoza Martinez is a carpenter who had approximately $20 in his bank account at the time of his arrest, according to court documents. In a recorded interview with law enforcement after his arrest, he said he was confused about what had prompted the interrogation. “I work every day for a living. I’m a union worker,” he said in the video. He denied threatening anyone and denied being a gang member.

U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow barred prosecutors from presenting testimony about Espinoza Martinez’s alleged gang membership, citing their lack of evidence to support such claims. The prosecution had initially characterized Espinoza Martinez as a “ranking member” of the Latin Kings.

Espinoza Martinez was born in Mexico and has lived in the United States for decades without legal permission to remain, according to federal authorities.

Larger Questions About the Operation

The case has become a focal point for scrutiny of Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation that began in Chicago last year. Of roughly 30 criminal cases stemming from the operation in the Chicago area, charges have been dropped or dismissed in approximately half.

Adding to questions about the reliability of the government’s case is the credibility record of Bovino himself. In a separate federal lawsuit in Chicago, a judge found that Bovino made false statements under oath about alleged gang-related threats.

The Trump administration and Bovino have held up the Espinoza Martinez case as an example of increasing dangers faced by federal immigration agents, particularly threats from gangs. The trial proceedings have complicated that narrative.

Closing arguments are set for Thursday. If convicted, Espinoza Martinez faces up to 10 years in prison.