By Chicago Times Magazine –
October 7, 2025
A high-ranking member of the violent Latin Kings street gang has been charged in federal court with soliciting the murder of a senior law enforcement official who was involved in a recent immigration enforcement operation, authorities announced yesterday.
Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, of Chicago, was arrested yesterday after a criminal complaint was unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, charging him with one count of murder-for-hire.
According to the complaint, Martinez, identified as a ranking member of the Latin Kings gang, used social media to put a bounty on the federal officer’s life. Martinez allegedly sent a message via Snapchat offering cash for information on and the eventual killing of the official.
The complaint states the messages included the following solicitations: “2k on information when you get him” and “10k if u take him down.” The message also contained a photograph of the target, a senior law enforcement official with the U.S. Border Patrol—an agency within U.S. Customs and Border Protection—who had recently participated in the Chicago immigration enforcement operation known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”
The arrest and charge were announced by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew S. Boutros, and Matthew J. Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Chicago.
Deputy Attorney General Blanche condemned the alleged plot, calling it an assault on foundational American values.
“Placing a bounty on the head of a federal officer is an attack on the rule of law and on every American who depends on law enforcement to keep them safe,” said Blanche. “The Department of Justice will never allow violent gangs or criminal networks to target those who protect our borders and our communities.”
