Jurors selected in trial for alleged murder-for-hire plot of Border Patrol leader in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) — A jury was selected Tuesday in the trial of a man accused of offering a $10,000 bounty for the life of a Border Patrol commander behind an immigration crackdown in Chicago last year.

Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, faces one count of murder-for-hire. Federal prosecutors allege he’s a “ranking member” of the Latin Kings gang who offered a reward for Gregory Bovino’s killing. The Border Patrol official has been the public face of the Trump administration’s combative immigration operations including in California, North Carolina and Minnesota.

Espinoza Martinez is the first person to be criminally tried in connection with the crackdown in and around the nation’s third-largest city. Bovino and the Trump administration have held up the case up as an example of increasing dangers faced by federal agents.

But a slew of federal lawsuits have fueled skepticism about the Trump administration’s narrative on the Chicago operation. Of the roughly 30 criminal cases stemming from Operation Midway Blitz, charges have been dismissed or dropped in about half. In a notable lawsuit that forced Bovino to sit for depositions, a federal judge found he lied under oath including about alleged gang threats.

Days ahead of Espinoza Martinez’s trial, prosecutors acknowledged they didn’t have evidence proving gang ties, leading U.S. Judge Joan Lefkow to bar questioning on the Latin Kings.

Espinoza Martinez, who has pleaded not guilty, wore a dark suit and tie to court and watched the proceedings intently. He’s been in federal custody since October when he was arrested.

Born in Mexico, he’s lived in the U.S. for more than 30 years. He does not have legal permission to stay in the United States.

His family and attorneys say he is not in a gang. The father of three worked as a carpenter.

“The evidence on Mr. Martinez’s intent is so weak,” defense attorney Jonathan Bedi told the judge before jurors were brought in.

Opening statements were set for Wednesday after 12 jurors and two alternatives were chosen. Much of the juror questioning was done in private conversations between the judge and attorneys.

Prosecutors allege Espinoza Martinez sent a Snapchat message in October to other gang members that read in part “10k if u take him down,” along with a picture of Bovino. He also allegedly offered $2,000 for information about the commander. The criminal complaint cites an anonymous source who accused Espinoza Martinez of being a “ranking member of the Latin Kings.”

The trial is expected to last a few days and feature testimony from federal agents along with excerpts of a video-taped interview Espinoza Martinez gave to authorities after arrest. Bovino is not expected to testify.

If convicted, Espinoza Martinez faces up to 10 years in prison.

“Putting a price on the life of a law enforcement officer is a line that can never be crossed,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said in an October statement announcing the charges.

Scrutiny on agents’ use of force has followed operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, and currently in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. The arrests by armed and masked agents have led to to numerous protests and intense standoffs in each region.

In the Chicago area, more than 4,300 people were arrested for alleged immigration violations in the crackdown that began in September. Bovino has signaled immigration operations in Chicago will ramp up again in the coming months.

FILE - U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents arrive to escort U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Gregory Bovino from federal court in Chicago, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Landslides hit a campground and a house in New Zealand and emergency crews were trying to rescue people buried in rubble, officials said Thursday.

Emergency services were called to the slide at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island after 9:30 a.m. The rubble hit Beachside Holiday Park in a town named after the extinct volcano.

Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing was in the “single figures" but didn't say further how many were affected.

Another landslide hit a house overnight in the nearby Bay of Plenty community. Two people escaped the house but two others were missing, Anderson said. A rescue operation was underway there Thursday.

Further north near Warkworth, a man remained missing after floodwaters swept him from a road Wednesday morning as heavy rain lashed large swathes of the North Island, a police statement said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged residents in affected areas to heed local authorities' safety advice during the extreme conditions.

“Extreme weather continues to cause dangerous conditions across the North Island. Right now, the government is doing everything we can to support those impacted,” Luxon posted on social media.

At Mount Maunganui, no survivor had been recovered three hours after the slide, Fire and Emergency NZ commander William Pike said.

“Members of the public ... tried to get into the rubble and did hear some voices,” Pike told reporters. “Our initial fire crew arrived and … were able to hear the same. Shortly after our initial crew arrived, we withdrew everyone from the site due to possible movement and slip."

No sign of life had been detected since, Pike said.

Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said emergency crews were continuing a rescue operation at Mount Maunganui.

Mayor Mahe Drysdale said those unaccounted earlier had included people who had left the campground without notifying authorities. The campground was closed after the disaster.

Australian tourist Sonny Worrall said he was lazing in hot pools within the campground when he heard then saw the landslide.

“I looked behind me and there’s a huge landslide coming down. And I’m still shaking from it now,” Worrall told New Zealand 1News news service. “I turned around and I had to jump out from my seat as fast as I could and just run.”

He looked back to see the rubble carrying a travel trailer behind him.

“It was like the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Worrall said.

In this image from a video, a police officer with dog searches people near the site of a landlide at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (TVNZ via AP)

In this image from a video, rescuers and fire crews work near the site of a landlide at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (TVNZ via AP)