Jury finds Chicago man not guilty of circulating $10K bounty on life of top Border Patrol leader Bovino

CHICAGO — A man accused of offering a $10,000 bounty over Snapchat for the life of a top Border Patrol leader was found not guilty on Thursday in the first criminal trial stemming from the Chicago-area immigration crackdown that started last year. Jurors deliberated less than 4 hours before returning the favorable verdict for 37-year-old Juan Espinoza Martinez. He faced one count of murder-for-hire and up to 10 years in prison if convicted in the first criminal trial out of the Chicago area immigration crackdown. Testimony lasted mere hours in the federal trial that’s the latest test of the Trump administration’s credibility on federal surges that have played out from Minnesota to Maine. Espinoza Martinez, who wore a suit and tie, listened to intently with his arms crossed near his stomach. He did not speak but hugged his attorneys afterward. A message left with DHS after Thursday’s verdict wasn’t immediately returned. At the heart of the government’s case are Snapchat messages sent from Espinoza Martinez to his younger brother and a friend who turned out to be a government informant. One read in part “10k if u take him down,” along with a picture of Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol
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