Photo: Alamy
Federal authorities have arrested a suspected Chicago gang leader accused of offering $10,000 for the killing of a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer involved in Operation Midway Blitz, officials announced Monday.
Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, an alleged leader of the Latin Kings gang, was charged with one count of murder-for-hire, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. A court date has not yet been set.
A criminal complaint unsealed Monday alleges Martinez used Snapchat to solicit information on the officer’s whereabouts, offering $2,000 for tips and $10,000 “if you take him down,” Fox News reported. Investigators said the messages included a photo of the targeted officer, who was believed to have been singled out following a shooting Saturday in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood involving local police and Border Patrol agents.
According to law enforcement sources, Martinez allegedly ordered members of the Latin Kings to confront federal officers in the area, viewing their presence as a threat to the gang’s territory.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche condemned the plot in a statement on Monday, calling it a direct assault on law enforcement and public safety.
“Placing a bounty on the head of a federal officer is an attack on the rule of law and on every American who depends on law enforcement to keep them safe,” Blanche said. “This case is exactly what we mean when we say Take Back America — taking back every neighborhood and street corner from violent thugs and criminal gangs and returning them to the law-abiding members of our communities.”
The arrest comes as the Trump administration ramps up security operations in Chicago, deploying National Guard troops to assist federal agencies in reducing violent crime across the city.
The news comes as Illinois and the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block President Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to the city after the administration announced plans to send in hundreds of service members.
According to the complaint, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth federalized up to 300 members of the Illinois National Guard on Saturday despite objections from Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat.