Federal Judge Threatens To Block El Chapo’s ‘Drug’ Money From Paying For Lawyers


NBC New York –Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman walked into federal court in Brooklyn and immediately waved to his wife and twin daughters, who were sitting in the second row, then sat as a judge refused to guarantee the government wouldn’t at some point seize any fees private lawyers would receive for legal services.

The Mexican drug lord’s lawyers, including noted criminal defense attorney Jeff Lichtman, who successfully defended the son of mob scion John Gotti, had sought assurances that if they came into the case, the government wouldn’t later seize their fees as part of the $14 billion alleged drug money it wants to collect from Guzman.

The private lawyers said they want to take the case off the hands of public defenders, that they want to lift the burden from taxpayers’ shoulders, but they need to be compensated.

They didn’t get any promises. 

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan told them at Monday’s hearing that they would have to take that risk if they wanted to represent him. 

Afterward, the lawyers told reporters that they still want to find a way to represent Guzman. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of running a drug trafficking cartel that laundered billions of dollars and oversaw murders and kidnappings.

Lichtman also said after court that Guzman would be able to spend time with his family Thursday for the first time in seven months. Guzman frequently turned to stare at his family throughout his 15-minute hearing Monday. He appeared emotional at times. 

Guzman is set to go on trial in New York next year. Cogan refused to flex the trial start date at Monday’s hearing. He told the private lawyers if they wanted to take the risk in defending Guzman to “do it soon,” adding “I am not going to put the April trial date in jeopardy because you complain that you didn’t have enough time to prepare.” 

Lichtman has yet to file a “notice of appearance” officially saying he is Guzman’s new lawyer, though Guzman has retained him.

Wow! Looks like the Feds ain’t playing with “El Chapo” at all. He fought tooth & nail to get transferred to the US to face his charges, but it looks like that plan is slowly crumbling like foil. Especially if the judge blocks that money.

Prior to hiring his own counsel, he was using public defenders to defend his case. 

Join the discussion.

Crying Charlottesville White Nationalist Turns Himself Into The Cops 

The sobbing “white nationalist” who has been the running joke of social media ever since a video of him completely shook at the prospect of being arrested for his hate antics during the Charlottesville riot has turned himself into the cops.


NY Times –Christopher Cantwell, 36, was charged with two felony counts of illegal use of tear gas and one felony count of malicious bodily injury by means of a caustic substance. A preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 12.

Cantwell, a self-described white nationalist, emerged as a high-profile activist for the so-called alt-right after being featured in a Vice News documentary that has been viewed more than 44 million times since it was broadcast on Aug. 14.

In it, Cantwell is shown calling for an “ethno-state” and saying that the death of the woman, Heather D. Heyer, was justified. “I think that a lot more people are going to die before we’re done here,” he added.

Cantwell posted a video on Aug. 12 in which he choked back tears and was widely mocked by his critics for appearing scared of being arrested.

In interviews last week, he said that he believed that any charges he would face would be connected to an episode he said was photographed by a journalist that showed him “pepper-spraying a guy straight in his face as he’s coming toward me.”

“I thought that spraying that guy was the least damaging thing I could do,” he said. “In my left hand I had a flashlight. My other option, other than the pepper spray, was to break this guy’s teeth. O.K.? And I didn’t want to do that. I just wanted him to not hurt me. I don’t think I did anything wrong,’’ he said, “and I’m looking forward to my day in court.”