El Chapo wants new team of lawyers to defend him in US drug trafficking case

Mexican drug lord and escape artist Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman wants to hire new lawyers in his U.S. drug trafficking case, but there’s questions about how they’ll get paid.

Guzman is set to appear Monday in federal court in Brooklyn where a judge is expected to address questions about whether he can replace his public defense lawyers with private ones.

His current legal team has asked for assurances from prosecutors that if he hires the private lawyers, the government won’t later seek forfeiture of any legal fees based on arguments the money came from his estimated $14 billion in drug profits.

Prosecutors have argued that taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for his defense. But they also said in a letter to the court last week that the government will not “grant a blanket prospective assurance” that it won’t go after money spent on a private defense.

To read the reast of ABC News’ article, click here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/el-chapo-seeking-lawyers-us-drug-trafficking-case-49199717