New details about the case involving an alleged $10,000 bounty on the head of U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino have been revealed in a freshly unsealed court document, including text messages the feds say show a street gang’s response to Bovino’s immigration blitz.
U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow ordered the document unsealed days before a Tuesday hearing, in which attorneys for Juan Espinoza Martinez are expected to argue for his release from custody.
Federal authorities say Espinoza Martinez was a “ranking member” of the Latin Kings street gang when he put the $10,000 bounty on Bovino. His attorneys say he has “stable employment, deep family connections” and no criminal background.
They deny any gang ties.
The case is one of the most closely watched at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse tied to the deportation campaign known as “Operation Midway Blitz.” That’s especially true after the feds agreed Thursday to drop an assault case against a woman shot by a Border Patrol agent.
There have now been at least 10 cases tied to the immigration blitz that have been dismissed.
The separate case against Espinoza Martinez involves a cooperating source. The feds say Espinoza Martinez sent that person a picture of Bovino by Snapchat. It allegedly said “2k on info cuando lo agarren,” “10K if u take him down,” and “LK … on him.”
Authorities say that meant Espinoza Martinez had offered a $2,000 reward for information about Bovino, as well as a $10,000 reward for his murder, while indicating the Latin Kings were involved.
The newly unsealed affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, shows that Espinoza Martinez agreed to speak with law enforcement after his arrest. He said he was the user of a Snapchat account with the username “Monkey” — but he said the name also included a set of numbers that differed from the account in question.
He also “admitted to learning of the information depicted” in the picture of Bovino, according to the affidavit. He attributed it, in part, “to sources of information on social media that he would not identify,” and he acknowledged sending the picture and message to others.
Espinoza Martinez told investigators he “did not know the name” of Bovino but knew he was “a big boss in Chicago involved in immigration enforcement.”
Espinoza Martinez also agreed to let investigators search his phone, according to the affidavit. The review allegedly showed that he’d been logged into the Snapchat account in question. It also allegedly led to the discovery of conversations in which another person referred to Espinoza Martinez as “King.”
Investigators also say they discovered a conversation by text message in which Espinoza Martinez and an unknown person “discuss the Latin King street gang’s response to federal immigration enforcement activities on the west side of Chicago.”
In the text messages, Espinoza Martinez allegedly wrote, “my guys are ready in the vill,” “saints, sds, and 2six being b—-es,” “Chapo has our back bro. if they they take one its gunna be bad,” and “sinaloa dont f— around.”
The other person allegedly told Espinoza Martinez “Just keep dem Ice mfs from taking any of yall ppl.”
The agent who wrote the affidavit also pointed to an Oct. 5 Snapchat conversation in which Espinoza Martinez allegedly discussed the potential purchase of a Ruger pistol, and a separate conversation in which someone sent a picture of a pistol with a gold-covered slide to Espinoza Martinez with the message “Available fam, 1600 extra mag and shipping.”
Finally, the agent pointed to a photograph allegedly saved to Espinoza Martinez’s phone in December 2024 which “appeared to depict a large of [sic] amount of cocaine.”
Espinoza Martinez’s defense attorney, Jonathan Bedi, declined to comment Friday beyond his previous statements about the case. Bedi has called Espinoza Martinez “a longtime Chicago resident and the father of three kids” and a “dedicated union member” who “consistently worked to provide for his family while contributing positively to the community.”
In the recent motion seeking Espinoza Martinez’s release from custody, Bedi wrote that his client “has never given anyone reason to doubt his character. His entire life, his family, his children, his siblings, and his mother all live in Chicago.
“Until a few weeks ago … Mr. Espinoza Martinez was simply a working man with deep roots in this community and an unblemished record,” Bedi wrote. “He was going to work and taking his children to their soccer games. Now he sits in federal detention, held away from his family and his livelihood.”
“Allegations are not evidence,” Bedi wrote, “and certainly not proof.”