Citing potential danger, judge orders anonymous jury in 'El Chapo' trial

By MAURA DOLAN
FEB 06, 2018 | 11:40 AM



Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted in Ciudad Juarez by the Mexican police as he is extradited to the United States on Jan. 20, 2017.
(AFP/Getty Images)

A federal judge has ordered that the identities of jurors in the upcoming trial against drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman be kept secret and that the jurors be partially sequestered during court proceedings to protect their privacy and safety.

In court documents, U.S. prosecutors allege that Guzman employed sicarios, or hit men, to carry out hundreds of assaults, murders and kidnappings in order to silence potential witnesses and retaliate against those who cooperated with law enforcement.

In a decision released late Monday, Judge Brian M. Cogan of the Eastern District of New York ordered that the names, addresses and places of employment of prospective and selected jurors not be revealed to the prosecution, defense or the press, that jurors be transported to and from the courthouse by the U.S. Marshals Service, and that they be sequestered from the public while in the courthouse.

"The government has presented strong and credible reasons to believe that the jury needs protection," Cogan wrote in the order.

More:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-el-chapo-jury-20180206-story.html

LBN:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141981334