Federal authorities have charged an alleged Chicago gang member with plotting to kill a senior immigration enforcement officer spearheading a large-scale operation in the city.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday that Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, an alleged member of the Latin Kings gang, faces charges of soliciting fellow gang members and others to gather intelligence on the officer and offering $10,000 for his murder.
According to court documents unsealed the same day, the target of the alleged plot was Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. Border Patrol. Bovino has been leading federal enforcement operations in Chicago since mid-September, after previously overseeing a similar mission in Los Angeles as part of the Trump administration’s campaign to combat crimes committed by illegal immigrants in some of the nation’s largest cities.
Investigators said Espinoza Martinez used Snapchat to circulate a photo of Bovino, offering $2,000 for information leading to his capture. He later appeared to raise the offer to “10k if you take him down.”
DHS said it learned of these messages after receiving a screenshot from a source on Oct. 3. Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) identified Espinoza Martinez as the account holder and arrested him on Oct. 6 in Burr Ridge, a suburb 20 miles southwest of Chicago.
DHS said Martinez is from Mexico and entered the United States illegally at an unknown time.
Hellbound and Down 