Overview
- Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, is charged with soliciting murder-for-hire tied to Operation Midway Blitz and has pleaded not guilty.
- Prosecutors say Snapchat messages offered $10,000 to "take him down" and $2,000 for information and included a photo of Gregory Bovino.
- DHS says a screenshot referenced "LK," which agents link to the Latin Kings, but Judge Joan Lefkow barred presenting gang membership, and a cooperating witness may explain abbreviations and emojis without naming a group.
- Prosecutors recently acknowledged they lack proof of gang ties, jury selection opened at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, and Bovino is not expected to testify.
- The trial is expected to last a few days, and if convicted Martinez faces up to 10 years in prison, with court records placing some messages after an October agent-involved shooting in Brighton Park.