Overview
- ABC7 Chicago reported Thursday night that a verdict was reached in Juan Espinoza Martinez’s federal solicitation-of-murder-for-hire case, though the outcome was not immediately disclosed.
- The first criminal trial linked to Operation Midway Blitz moved quickly, with roughly three hours of prosecution testimony before closing arguments and deliberations.
- Prosecutors relied on screenshots of Snapchat messages and the account of informant Adrian Jimenez, while the defense argued the messages reflected neighborhood gossip rather than a genuine solicitation.
- U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow barred evidence of alleged gang membership or affinity, narrowing the government’s narrative and excluding several gang-related texts and a video.
- Bovino did not testify, and if convicted Martinez faces up to 10 years in prison in a case that has tested claims about threats to agents and the broader credibility of Midway Blitz prosecutions.