US Customs and Border Patrol agents listen to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during the Border Security Expo at the Phoenix Convention Center on April 8, 2025, in Phoenix, AZ.
(Chicago, IL) – A man identified by authorities as a member of the Latin Kings gang is also accused of putting a $10,000 bounty on US Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino. Court documents contain the Snapchat messages — allegedly written by Juan Espinoza Martinez — a 37-year-old Mexican man who has been living in the US illegally.
Martinez was arrested this week in a suburb of Chicago. Federal prosecutors allege he wrote “10k if u take him down,” on the social media platform — in reference to Bovino. The Snapchat conversation — in Spanish — offered $2,000 for the chief’s capture and $10,000 if “you take him down.”
A source apparently sent cops a screen shot of the conversation. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: “Depraved individuals like Juan Espinoza Martinez – who do not value human life and threaten law enforcement – do NOT belong in this country. We will not allow criminal gangs to put hits on US government officials and our law enforcement officers. Thanks to ICE and our federal law enforcement partners, this thug is off our streets and behind bars. These attacks on our brave law enforcement officers must END. Secretary Noem has been crystal clear: If you threaten or lay a hand on law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
It’s not immediately clear how long Martinez has been in the US, or when he last lived in Mexico. Bovino, in his capacity with US Border Patrol, has been running “Operation Midway Blitz.” Federal agents have been taking part in a crackdown on illegal immigration. That apparently angered Martinez enough to cause his alleged threat.
“Placing a bounty on the head of a federal officer is an attack on the rule of law and on every American who depends on law enforcement to keep them safe,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. He continued: “This case is exactly what we mean when we say Take Back America – taking back every neighborhood and street corner from violent thugs and criminal gangs and returning them to the law-abiding members of our communities.”
Martinez initial court date has not been scheduled.
