Free Republic

An alleged Chicago gang leader living in the United States illegally and accused of soliciting the murder of a high-ranking U.S. Border Patrol commander has been indicted by a federal grand jury. Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, is charged with a single count of murder for hire over an alleged bounty placed on U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, the commander at large. The indictment states that Martinez, a Mexican citizen, "knowingly used a facility of interstate commerce, namely, an Apple Model 16 cellular telephone... and Snapchat, with intent that a murder be committed." He was arrested this week and remains...

CHICAGO — An alleged high-ranking Chicago gang member has been charged with soliciting the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, the tough-talking commander at the forefront of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement push “Operation Midway Blitz.” Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, of Chicago, was arrested Monday morning and charged in a criminal complaint unsealed Monday with one count of solicitation of murder-for-hire. A court appearance has not yet been set, and it was unclear if Martinez had a lawyer. According to the complaint, Martinez, a ranking member of the Latin Kings, told a law enforcement source after an...

Federal prosecutors say a Latin King gang leader offered a $10,000 bounty for the killing of a senior immigration enforcement officer after an ICE agent shot a woman in Chicago this weekend. A source familiar with the investigation identified the intended target as Commander Gregory Bovino, who has been leading the Border Patrol’s high-profile “Midway Blitz” operation in the city. Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, known by the street name “Monkey,” is accused of offering $10,000 reward for Bovino’s murder and $2,000 for information about Bovino’s location. Investigators linked Martinez to the communications through subscriber records and a phone number tied...