Overview

• He entered guilty pleas to two organized-crime counts tied to RICO—money laundering and weapons—in federal court in Brooklyn.
• In open court, he acknowledged leading the Sinaloa Cartel for decades and paying bribes to police, military commanders and politicians in Mexico.
• Judge Brian M. Cogan scheduled the sentencing for January 13, 2026, and prosecutors said he faces a potential life term under federal guidelines.
• U.S. filings valued his illicit proceeds at roughly $15 billion, and multiple federal cases were consolidated into the Brooklyn matter.
• After the plea, Attorney General Pam Bondi and top DEA, FBI and DHS officials held a joint briefing, while Mexico’s government said it has not received new evidence from the U.S.