by On Friday, Ovidio Guzmán L. Pez, the son of El Chapo, the infamous Mexican crime lord, entered a guilty plea to a number of federal narcotics offenses, including employing violence to assist seize control of his father’s illegal enterprise.
Of El Chapo’s four sons, Mr. Guzmán L. Pez was the first to confess to a crime in a U.S. court. His appeal was made at a time when the Sinaloa drug cartel, which his father had assisted in founding, was at its weakest. The group has forged a strategic agreement with a rival drug gang in Mexico because of the intense pressure it faces from the authorities and its enemies.
In an orange jumpsuit, Mr. Guzm n L. Pez admitted to participating in a widespread drug conspiracy and an ongoing criminal operation during a closely watched hearing in Federal District Court in Chicago. In addition, he acknowledged being involved in three killings in Arizona and Mexico.
He has consented to work with federal prosecutors as part of his plea agreement with the government, but it is yet unknown what information he has given them.
The judge presiding over his case, Sharon Johnson Coleman, has not scheduled the sentencing of Mr. Guzmn L. Pez. Although he pleaded guilty to several offenses that technically carried a life sentence, his attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, stated that he was unlikely to receive a life sentence.
Two distinct indictments, one filed in Chicago and the other in New York, contained the charges that Mr. Guzmn L. Pez admitted. Joaqu n Guzm n L Pez, the full brother of Mr. Guzm n L Pez, is also being held in Chicago and is attempting to work out a plea agreement for himself.
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