Appeals court hears claims of jury bias at ‘El Chapo’ trial

By TOM HAYS
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman says the U.S. conspiracy conviction of the notorious Mexican drug lord should be thrown out. Attorney Marc Fernich made the argument before a federal appeals court on Monday, telling the three-judge panel that the jury for Guzman flouted admonitions to avoid media accounts of the case. A federal prosecutor said there was no valid evidence of juror misconduct. Guzman was sentenced in 2019 to life behind bars for a massive drug conspiracy that spread murder and mayhem for more than two decades. The panel will rule at a late date.