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A federal jury in Chicago found Juan Espinoza Martinez not guilty on Thursday of attempting to put a “hit” on a top Border Patrol official.
The 37-year-old was accused of offering a bounty for the death of Gregory Bovino, the Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Sector.
Jurors reached the verdict just before 4 p.m. at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse after only a few hours of deliberation.
The case centered on a Snapchat message sent in October during “Operation Midway Blitz,” a high-profile law enforcement crackdown.
Federal prosecutors argued that Espinoza Martinez offered $2,000 for information and $10,000 for Bovino’s death.
The message included a photo of the Chief and the letters “LK,” which authorities claimed represented the Latin Kings street gang.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Yonan told the jury the post was a deliberate attempt to solicit a murder for hire.
However, defense attorney Dena Singer argued that the government’s case was built entirely on “just words.”
Singer emphasized that no money ever changed hands and no weapons were ever recovered.
The defense maintained that Espinoza Martinez was simply sharing neighborhood gossip with his brother and a friend.
The friend turned out to be a government informant, leading to the carpenter’s arrest last fall.
While the government initially labeled him a gang member, they later dropped those specific allegations.
Espinoza Martinez is a Mexican national with no prior criminal record who has lived in the U.S. since childhood.
The government was unable to provide further evidence, such as follow-up messages or a concrete plan, to support the plot.
This verdict marks a significant setback for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago.
The office has already dropped 14 of the 31 non-immigration cases tied to “Operation Midway Blitz.”
This trial was the first case from that operation to reach a jury’s hands.
