A Little Village man was acquitted Thursday on federal charges accusing him of trying to put a hit on U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Gregory Bovino, as reported by the Chicago Sun Times.
Federal authorities slapped all kinds of sinister labels. They called him a “high-ranking member of the Latin Kings.” They called him “depraved.” They even called him a “thug” as they accused him of offering $10,000 for the murder of Bovino.
After deliberating approximately three hours, jurors called Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, not guilty. Jurors heard less than a day of testimony on Wednesday before prosecutors and defense attorneys presented closing arguments on Thursday.
It was the first trial tied to the federal government's Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. With Thursday’s acquittal of Espinoza Martinez, 15 people have now been cleared. At least three of those dismissals resulted from “no bills,” where a grand jury found insufficient evidence or probable cause to return an indictment. That was virtually unheard of until recently.
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