Will Emma Coronel Aispuro get life in prison? El Chapo's wife pleads guilty to drugs charges
Emma Coronel Aispuro, the beauty queen wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán pleaded guilty to all federal charges against her on June 10. The charges against her stemmed from assisting her husband run his multi-billion dollar drug cartel. Guzmán's 31-year-old wife's move was reportedly expected.
Aispuro entered her plea during a hearing at the federal district court in Washington, appearing before US District Judge Rudolph Contreras. Aispuro was seen wearing a green prison uniform and a white mask. Speaking through a Spanish translator, Aispuro pleaded guilty to all three criminal charges against her, related to her involvement in her husband's vast drug enterprise.
RELATED ARTICLES
Prosecutor Anthony Nardozzi told the court that Aispuro "aided and abetted" the Sinaloa cartel, from 2011 to 2017, which was headed by her husband, Guzmán. Following Guzmán's arrest in Mexico, she served as the "go-between" for his cartel to further its drug trafficking. Aispuro was also accused of conspiring with Guzmán's sons to coordinate his 2015 prison break and of benefiting from his criminal activities through their marriage.
When Judge Contreras asked Aispuro whether she did "in fact do what the government stated it can prove at trial," she responded "yes." Aispuro's attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman told reporters afterward that his client was a "very minimal participant" in a larger scheme of crimes and is not a cooperator. "She's at ease with her decision. This is obviously a difficult day, " he said. For the first count, conspiracy to distribute, Aispuro faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. She also faces 20 years for the second count, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and 10 years for the third count, engaging in transactions and dealings of a designated foreign drug trafficker. In addition to this, she is also subject to a hefty fine of more than $10 million for the three counts.
Aispuro was arrested by federal authorities at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington in February 2021. She is the mother of twins by Guzmán and has dual US Mexico citizenship. Aispuro is being held without bond and will be sentenced in September.
Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán was the longtime leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, which was responsible for smuggling drugs into the US, according to the Justice Department. He was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the US in 2017. Guzmán was convicted on all 10 counts against him in connection to his criminal enterprise and drug trafficking. He is currently serving a life sentence at a SuperMax prison in Colorado.
