Chicago Man Cleared in Murder-for-Hire Plot Targeting Border Patrol Chief Bovino

A federal jury acquitted Chicago resident Juan Espinoza Martinez of a murder-for-hire charge linked to a plot against Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, saying prosecutors failed to prove intent. The case, part of the Trump-era Operation Midway Blitz, featured four witnesses and a brief three-hour deliberation after opening statements, with Bovino absent from court. Prosecution had alleged a $10,000 bounty, but the defense argued the messages amounted to gossip, not a crime.