Ovidio Guzmán, son of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, El Chapo, appeared before Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman in the Northern District Court of Illinois, in Chicago.
Ovidio pleaded not guilty to the five charges against him, including drug trafficking and money laundering. These charges in Chicago are in addition to the six he faces in New York.
This Monday, September 18, Ovidio, who is also nicknamed “El Ratón,” attended a hearing in federal court that lasted 14 minutes, after being extradited to the United States last Friday, since he was in the El Altiplano prison, in the state of Mexico.
Dressed in an orange jumpsuit and ankle shackles, Ovidio Guzmán, 33, listened to the proceedings through a Spanish interpreter, although he sometimes answered questions from District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman in heavily accented English, reported the Chicago Tribune.
During the hearing, which lasted just under 15 minutes, Ovidio looked confused, crestfallen. Asked if he suffers from any illness, he said that he recently underwent stomach surgery and that he also suffers from depression and anxiety, disorders for which he is medicated. However, both he and his attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, assured that these medications do not interfere with his ability to stand trial.
Prosecutors said two of the charges Guzmán López is accused of carry mandatory life sentences if convicted, the Tribune said. The death penalty was taken off the table as part of a negotiation for Guzmán López’s extradition with Mexican authorities, according to prosecutors.
Guzmán López waived his right to a detention hearing and will remain detained without bail pending trial. The follow-up hearing was rescheduled for next November 17.
Read also: This is the skyscraper prison in Chicago where the son of “El Chapo” is held
The five charges against him are:
1) Conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana in the United States
2) Continued Criminal Enterprise
3) Import, manufacture and distribute cocaine, methamphetamines, heroin and marijuana
4) Illegal money laundering conspiracy
5) Possession of a firearm
Last Friday, the US Department of Justice confirmed Guzmán’s extradition to Chicago.
Guzmán, arrested by Mexican authorities last January, was one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the United States for his participation in fentanyl trafficking and now faces a series of federal charges in different courts in the country.
Ovidio had two possibilities: reach an agreement with the authorities to cooperate and provide information, in exchange for a reduced sentence, or, like his father, face trial.
Read also: Who is Jeffrey Lichtman, the gangster-free lawyer who defended Chapo and will represent Ovidio?
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2023-09-19 11:12:46
#Ovidio #Guzmán #pleads #innocent #drug #trafficking #money #laundering
