The Department of Justice of the United States requested Friday, February 7, from the Sinaloa leader Dámaso López Núñez, alias “El Licenciado”, testify during the trial of Genaro García Luna, former head of the Mexican Ministry of Public Security (SSP), during the Government of Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.
In addition, the prosecutors in Washington and Virginia recommended that the Court of the Eastern District of Virginia reclassify the life sentence of López Núñez for drug trafficking, which is at least 15 years in prison.
However, Judge Thomas Ellis III requested a period of four to six months to analyze the merits of the reclassification of sentence and evaluate with the prosecutors themselves the relevance of “El Lic”" participating in favor of the US Government, "In other trials in the future."
The hearing of López Núñez, which lasted more than three hours, was held behind closed doors in the Alexandria Division of the Court of the Eastern District of Virginia, at the request of both prosecutors, due to the “sensitivity” of the data that were to be discussed.
In addition, the documents that support the request for reclassification of sentence and detailing the way in which “El Lic” collaborated with the US authorities, were also sealed, so they will be classified until a new court order to the contrary.
According to people present inside the federal court room, the US government stated that "El Lic" is a model inmate, whose collaboration was "key" and "reliable", not only to successfully prosecute Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, alias "El Chapo" - his former partner and compadre - but "to open new lines of investigation" around the activities of the Sinaloa Cartel.
"El Lic" was one of the main witnesses in the trial against Guzmán Loera, who became a lieutenant, right hand and successor in the structure of the Sinaloa Cartel. At the end of November 2018, and after an agreement between the Prosecutor and defense, López Núñez was sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to cocaine trafficking.
The Prosecutor's request for a sentence reduction for "El Lic" points out that cooperation with the US Government would have concluded satisfactorily with the information obtained and, therefore, would ask for a lower sentence for the Sinaloa kingpin.
According to the newspaper El Universal, the whereabouts of "El Lic" is unknown, since the search engine for prisoners of the Federal Penitentiary Bureau (BPO), assigns a registration number ( 92429-083), says that "he is not in his custody".
Chivis Note: BOP inmate search will not reveal if inmate is in Marshal custody or Protected Witness.
Wouldn't it be better if they waited until after Genaro's trial? That way they can show the jury that El Lic, despite having life imprisonment and with "nothing to gain", was testifying against Genaro. El Lic was a strong witness against El Chapo for that very reason.
ReplyDeleteI see what you mean here, but it doesnt work that way, it seems that obiously its to incriminate the other person with news about the crimes which makes sense but call it bullshit, the government already knows everything and what they do, but any charge is just an allegation and they just need him to say it him self to the judge and the charges can stick and stay. So him talking after sentencing luna makes no sense, anything he says would be useless once luna is already sentenced they wont need him to say anything once luna is already in prison
DeleteExpect lienenci for his cooperation. Hate to admit but his cooperation gave Mexico's government to the US on a platter. Despite the well known fact of corruption in Mexican government.
ReplyDeleteHe is already in the WITSEC program in the BOP.
ReplyDelete"The hearing of López Núñez, which lasted more than three hours, was held behind closed doors in the Alexandria Division of the Court of the Eastern District of Virginia, at the request of both prosecutors, due to the “sensitivity” of the data that were to be discussed"
ReplyDeleteI mean WTF who is the US government trying to protect here?
All these closed door sessions and plea deals just serve to ensure that US government officials collusion is not revealed. Fuck them!
Like Sammy the bull, this murderous asshole will likely get a nice comfortable home in Arizona where he can continue to do what he does best... though the cartel likely has considerably more reach than nyc Costa Nostra. Maybe not Arizona come to think of it. I doubt he'd be safe in Alaska, let alone cartel country.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with MX, let him prove his worth before discussing a deal. Testifying against Chapo was not needed for Guzman’s conviction. Lic’s deal should be that he gets to live out his days locked up instead of freedom of any kind
Free El Lic. Leave Chapo locked uo!
ReplyDeleteU.s.a justice system is a sham...a racquet
ReplyDeleteEl Lic and El Mini Lic can never return to Mexico .They are considered high value targets for Task Force 007 a group of highly trained Gente Nueva and Antrax .
ReplyDeleteSay Sacario they say Obrador has 350 elite troopers to handle his business. Same elite group that went two days later, after the ovidio fiasco, but all they did was stand around. They stay busy in the barracks playing cards and watching TV, seldom usage for getting criminals.
Delete