Overview

• Joaquín García was arraigned before U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska in Manhattan and entered a not guilty plea to six federal counts.
• The charges include sex trafficking, operating a criminal enterprise and related financial crimes, with potential penalties ranging from 20 years to life in prison.
• Federal authorities took him into custody on September 10 from the Chino, California, prison where he was serving a 16-year, 8-month sentence from a prior Los Angeles case.
• His mother, Eva García de Joaquín, and his nephew, Joram Núñez, were arrested the day the indictment was announced in Los Angeles and near Chicago, while three other alleged co-conspirators are sought in Mexico with U.S. extradition requests planned.
• A mid-December federal court date was set for the case’s next appearance, with press reports listing either December 15 or 16.