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“Socalj” for Borderland Beat
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“Take it from me as someone who knows, rather than from someone who thinks he knows or an anonymous source,” said Lichtman. “We’ve got no agreement with the government. There has never been an agreement with the government with Joaquin Guzman Lopez. Period.”
“Whatever happened was not done at the direction of the government…He’s happy to be here. That’s all I can really say at this point.”
Asked how he pleaded to the indictment against him, Guzmán López leaned into the microphone and said, “Not guilty, your honor.” Guzmán López waived his right to a detention hearing and will remain in custody pending trial.
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“He’s happy to be here. That’s all I can really say at this point,” Lichtman said. “I like him already. He’s somebody I can relate to. Just like I related to his father, just like I related to Ovidio.”
Lichtman also criticized — but did not refute — statements made by El Mayo’s attorney that Guzmán López had forcibly kidnapped the Sinaloa boss and flew him to U.S. soil against his will. Lichtman noted that there are no charges related to that allegation.
“He’s not being accused of kidnapping. When the government accuses him, then I’ll take notice. When lawyers who are trying to score points with the media make accusations then I ignore that because it’s meaningless.”
Mexico has opened an investigation into the events leading to the arrest.
Meanwhile, Lichtman said repeatedly in Chicago that he could not address how his client got to be on that plane with El Mayo, a story he said that “seems to be changing every few minutes.”
“Eventually it will all come out,” he said. “But as a defense lawyer it’s just noise. I’m here to help the man and get him the best possible result. I’m not here to respond to the internet. Whatever happened was not done at the direction of the government.”