Judge orders anonymity for ‘El Chapo’ trial jurors

Cartel leader’s past attempts to silence witnesses cited

NEW YORK — 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 to protect their privacy and safety.

In court documents, U.S. prosecutors allege that Guzman employed 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 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 while in the courthouse.

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

Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel who twice escaped from high-security prisons in Mexico, is charged with 17 counts of drug trafficking, conspiracy to launder money and firearms violations.

Attorneys for the government filed a motion last month for an anonymous and partially sequestered jury based in part on Guzman’s history of violence, arguing that he has interfered with the judicial process in the past and could continue to do so, even from prison.

They cited his previous escapes as evidence of his ability to marshal widespread support while confined. They also pointed to a group of federal prisoners in California who pledged support for Guzman after he was extradited from Mexico.

Guzman was scheduled to go on trial in April, but his attorneys requested more time. Attorneys for both parties will meet with the judge later this month to discuss an exact trial date.