CHICAGO (AP) — Snapchat messages a Chicago man accused of soliciting the murder of a top Border Patrol commander unknowingly sent to a government informant took center stage Wednesday at the opening day of the man’s federal trial.
Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, faces one count of murder-for-hire in the first criminal trial stemming from the immigration crackdown that began last year in and around the nation’s third-largest city. It's the latest test of credibility for the Trump administration's narratives about the Chicago operation.
Federal prosecutors have alleged Espinoza Martinez was a gang member who used Snapchat to put a $10,000 bounty on the life of Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official who has led aggressive and controversial campaigns nationwide, most recently in Minnesota.
But defense attorneys said Espinoza Martinez, a carpenter with roughly $20 in his bank account, sent messages amounting to “neighborhood gossip” to his brother and a friend who turned out to be a government informant.
The Snapchats came in October as the Chicago area was seeing a surge of federal immigration officers. Arrests, protests and standoffs with agents were common throughout the city of 2.7 million and surrounding suburbs, particularly in the city’s heavily Mexican Little Village neighborhood where Espinoza Martinez lived.
“This case is not about someone being on trial for expressing strong, even angry views about immigration enforcement policy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Minje Shin told jurors during opening statements. “Make no mistake, the evidence in this case will show that what the defendant did was not a joke, was not just him mouthing off, was not him blowing off steam behind a keyboard.”
The defense argued the messages were merely sharing sentiments already on Facebook. Espinoza Martinez's younger brother testified that he dismissed them as a joke.
“He’s not guilty because repeating neighborhood gossip is not a crime,” defense attorney Jonathan Bedi said of Espinoza Martinez. “Repeating neighborhood gossip is not intending to go commit a murder.”
Federal prosecutors initially referred to Espinoza Martinez as a “ranking member” of the Latin Kings, but prosecutors' lack of evidence led U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow to bar testimony on the Chicago street gang at trial. According to the criminal complaint, Espinoza Martinez allegedly sent messages on behalf of the gang to other gang members.
One recipient of the Snapchats was Adrian Jimenez, a 44-year-old man who owns a construction company and had been in touch with Espinoza Martinez over Snapchat about work in the last year. The government's first witness, Jimenez had previously been identified in the criminal complaint as an anonymous “source of information.”
Pictures of the Snapchats were shown on screens in court. One read in part “10k if u take him down,” along with a picture of Bovino. Some messages were sent in Spanish but translated into English for court.
Jimenez, who suffers from back pain and walked with a limp to the witness chair, testified that he took the text messages seriously and shared them with a Homeland Security investigator he knew. He also disclosed that he’d been convicted of a felony and served prison time. He also said he'd been previously paid as a government informant. He did not offer details on either topic.
Defense attorneys noted Jimenez, who asked for help getting out of his chair, had ongoing medical problems. They raised questions about whether Jimenez interpreted the Snapchats as a solicitation.
“You’re not somebody that commits murder for hire, right?” asked defense attorney Dena Singer.
“Nope,” Jimenez answered.
The same question was asked of defense witness Oscar Espinoza Martinez, the younger brother of the defendant. He also answered no.
Oscar Espinoza Martinez testified that he saw a Facebook post about an alleged $10,000 bounty an hour before his brother Juan sent him the Snapchats. He said he took it as a joke.
“Nobody’s going to do that for $10K," he said.
Bovino and the Trump administration have held up the case as an example of increasing dangers faced by federal immigration agents, particularly threats from gangs. However, several federal lawsuits in Chicago have raised doubts about the Department of Homeland Security’s accounts.
Of the roughly 30 criminal cases stemming from Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area, charges have been dropped or dismissed in approximately half. In another high-profile lawsuit that forced Bovino to be deposed, a federal judge found he lied under oath including about alleged gang threats.
Bovino did not testify at the trial. Closing arguments were set for Thursday.
If convicted, Juan Espinoza Martinez faces up to 10 years in prison.
Espinoza Martinez, who was born in Mexico, has lived in the U.S. for decades. He does not have legal permission to stay in the country, according to the federal government.
Federal prosecutors played short clips of his interview with law enforcement after his arrest, where he said he was confused about what prompted the interrogation. In the video, he tells investigators that he didn't threaten anybody and wasn't a gang member.
“I work every day for a living. I’m a union worker,” he said.
U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino arrives as protesters gather outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)
