Emma Coronel Aispuro, the beauty queen wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is reportedly expected to plead guilty to federal charges of helping him run his cartel. One source with knowledge about the case has claimed El Chapo's sons should be "concerned" about her cooperating with US authorities.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday, June 8, how the 31-year-old former model with dual Mexican - US citizenship was expected to plead guilty this week after being arrested at the Dulles International Airport in February.
Prosecutors accused the "Kardashian of Sinaloa" of being complicit in her husband's billion-dollar drug cartel operation. They also alleged that she conspired in Guzman's spectacular July 2015 jailbreak from the Altiplano prison in Mexico via a mile-long tunnel dug from his cell.
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Former "El Chapo" lieutenant Damaso Lopez testified that he met with Coronel and Guzman's sons to plot the cartel boss's notorious escape from the prison. According to him, Coronel relayed messages from her husband.
However, Coronel remained unrepentant of her criminal involvement. "What I can only say about that is that I have nothing to be ashamed of," she wrote. "I am not perfect but I consider myself a good human being and I have never hurt anyone intentionally."
A person familiar with the case told the New York Times that Coronel's plea agreement with Washington prosecutors does not require her to cooperate with US authorities. But, one family insider told the Daily Mail they doubted she was not cooperating as "she knows enough."
That said, it is unlikely that Coronel's cooperation would affect Guzman himself. The 63-year-old was convicted in February 2019 of masterminding a multibillion-dollar drug enterprise for his trafficking operation and was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years. He is currently locked up in a federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.
A source told the Daily Mail that El Chapo's sons, however, "may well be concerned."
Federal authorities have already indicted 36-year-old Joaquin Guzman Lopez and 30-year-old Ovidio Guzman Lopez. Their brothers Ivan, 40, and Jesus, 38, are also said to be heavily involved in cartel operations, especially since their father is locked up.
Having said that, Coronel is expected to appear in court in Washington, DC on Thursday, June 10, to enter her plea, according to the New York Times. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of $10 million if she is convicted on all charges.
Born into it
Emma Coronel is the mother of Guzman's twin daughters Maria Joaquina and Emali. She and the twins were a constant presence at her husband's trial. During his trial, Guzman would frequently wave and blow kisses at the trio. Shortly after, she announced she was launching a fashion line.
Jurors heard during the trial how Coronel's father and brother also worked for her husband, who was the head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Her father, Inés Coronel Barreras, served as one of El Chapo's top lieutenants before his arrest in Mexico in 2013. Meanwhile, her brother Inés Omar Coronel is also behind bars for having worked with the Sinaloa cartel, according to the Daily Mail.
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