El Chapo’s lawyer warned not to tamper with witnesses after ominous text
An attorney for the alleged drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman Loera, better known as “El Chapo,” is off the hook after texting a government witness, after Brooklyn federal court Judge Brian Cogan decided on Friday to give the lawyer a warning rather than sanction him.
Government prosecutors made a motion this week to impose sanctions on defense counsel A. Eduardo Balarezo after he texted a cooperating witness on Sept. 23, “You know the gov outed (cooperating witness)? See you in EDNY.”
Balarezo did not deny sending the text, but argued that it did not violate the protective order because he had gained the knowledge on his own rather than gaining it through discovery, according to court records.