Chapo att’y vows trial, nixes deal
EL CHAPO is finally lawyering up — and his new attorneys say he’s got every intention of slugging it out with the government at trial.
The Daily News has learned Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman has hired a team of veteran lawyers who know what it takes to defend against heavyweight prosecutions. The team includes two lawyers who represented the son of the Teflon Don.
Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman thwarted Manhattan federal prosecutors as they tried nailing John A. (Junior) Gotti — son of the infamous Gambino boss — on a slew of charges.
The News also learned the other lawyers coming in for Guzman are Marc Fernich — who represented Gotti with Lichtman during that first trial — as well as Eduardo Balarezo and William Purpura.
Balarezo and Purpura represented imprisoned Mexican kingpin Alfredo Beltran Leyva. Balarezo, in a statement, said, “We are prepared to defend Mr. Guzman to the fullest extent possible . . . . Mr. Guzman is looking forward to his day in court.”
Lichtman told The News, “There will be no plea deal in this case. There will be no plea discussions. We are going to trial.”
The trial is currently set to start in April. A MASSIVE earthquake struck a mountainous region of southwestern China on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 175 others, officials said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a rapid response to the area in the Sichuan province, where the magnitude 7.0 quake hit.
The epicenter was close to the Jiuzhaigou nature reserve, a favorite tourist destination.
At least six of the dead were tourists, and 28 of the injured were in serious condition, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
The Sichuan government said at least 100 tourists were trapped in the area by a landslide.
Power and phone service in the region were cut off as a result of the quake.
Chinese state news said more than 30,000 stranded tourists at Jiuzhaigou were being relocated to safety with help from tour buses and private vehicles.
“The tremors were very strong,” a woman in the town of Jiuzhaigou who gave only Wang as her name told The Associated Press.
She said the damage in the town center seemed minimal, other than the power being out.
“People from other regions are pretty frightened,” the woman added.
Train service in the area, known for its stunning waterfalls and rock formations, was suspended, according to reports.
On Wednesday morning, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck in far northwestern China, 1,360 miles away. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. A BIKE-RIDING robber has been targeting cabbies in Manhattan, reaching into open taxi windows and stealing cash from the drivers’ shirt pockets before pedaling off, cops said Tuesday.
The thief has struck seven times since June 28, and in one instance, a security camera caught the robber (photo) in action.
The video shows the cyclist creep up to the driver’s window of a cab stopped in traffic at Park Ave. South and E. 18th St. at about 3:20 p.m. on July 25.
He reaches inside the window with his right hand and grabs for the $78 the 49-yearold hack has in his pocket.
After a brief struggle, he pulls his hand back, sending loose bills flying onto the pavement.
The cabbie then opens his door, and the cyclist rides away. The thief struck most recently on July 31, at E. 21st St. and Park Ave, and made off with a paltry $7.
Police describe the suspect as black, between 5-feet-10 and 6 feet tall, about 200 pounds and bald. He wore a light-colored or gray T-shirt and black gym shorts with white stripes along the sides.
Cops ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. ACTRESS Barbara Cook, a legendary star of Broadway musicals and cabaret, died Tuesday of respiratory failure in her Manhattan home. She was 89.
Born in Atlanta, Cook (photo) gained fame for her luminous soprano. It shone brightly on Broadway, where she originated the roles of Cunegonda in 1956 in “Candide,” Marian the Librarian a year later in “The Music Man,” for which she won a Tony Award, and Amalia in 1963 in “She Loves Me,” in which she sang one one of her signature songs, “Vanilla Ice Cream.”
Cook battled alcohol, depression and weight problems, but enjoyed a thriving concert and cabaret career. She died surrounded by family and friends, and is survived by son Adam LeGrant.
Her last meal, her rep told the Daily News, was vanilla ice cream.
Broadway marquees will be dimmed Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. for one minute in honor of Cook, said the Broadway League.