U.S. prosecutors said they want the Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to spend the rest of his life — plus 30 years — in prison, after he hears from a victim who survived a murder plot he was accused of initiating.
Guzman, 62, faces a mandatory minimum of life in prison at his scheduled July 17 sentencing hearing, following his February conviction on a variety of drug charges.
In a Wednesday night letter, prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn to add another 30 years because jurors convicted Guzman of illegally using a firearm, including a machine gun, in connection with drug trafficking.
Prosecutors also said Guzman conspired to murder “numerous” people as a main leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and at least one target intends to make a “victim-impact statement” at the sentencing hearing.
Jeffrey Lichtman, a lawyer for Guzman, was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.