David Brooks and Jim Cason
Correspondents
La Jornada Newspaper
Thursday, September 26, 2024, p. 13
New York and Washington. Genaro García Luna’s defense lawyers asked the judge who will hand down a sentence on October 9 for a sentence of 20 years in prison.
Faced with the request for a life sentence proposed last week by federal prosecutors against Mexico’s former Secretary of Public Security, defense lawyers led by César de Castro argue that a 20-year sentence is extensive, enough
and is equivalent to the time his client dedicated to his career as a public official.
In the 14-page request filed yesterday before federal judge Brian Cogan, of the Federal Court for the Eastern District of New York, de Castro and his team offer a series of arguments to support their request.
They point out that García Luna has already served almost five years in prison, where “he has lost everything he worked for – his reputation, all his assets, the institutions he defended” – while he has suffered public attacks by various forces in Mexico. He adds that his family has suffered during those years. Furthermore, it has suffered from conditions inhuman
in the Metropolitan Detention Center where he is held, where, despite this, he has sought to help his community just as in Mexico, dedicating himself to supporting the educational development of other inmates. They indicate that all this should be considered by the judge when determining the sentence.
In their petition they include a series of stories and letters of support, encouraging the judge find out that he is a good person, dedicated to his family, and a man who served his country for decades
. Furthermore, “he has dedicated much of his career to defending America’s ideals and assisting its public safety community. They emphasize that García Luna “continues to demonstrate his character by focusing on the future, supporting his family emotionally… and working and praying for a brighter future for his family and the people of his country.”
It also recalls that the former official was invited and praised by American presidents, the directors of the CIA, the DEA and the FBI and offers a list of decorations awarded to the accused by several countries, including the United States, by police and intelligence agencies. Likewise, they offer testimonies from his two children, his wife and even his future son-in-law.
Prosecutors requested the sentence of life imprisonment by painting an opposite image of the defendant, stating that García Luna “lied and betrayed his colleagues, American public security and the Mexican people… Since the defendant simply chose greed and corruption on the well-being of the citizens of Mexico and the United States.”
Judge Cogan is scheduled to evaluate the applications and issue his ruling on October 9 after García Luna was found guilty by a jury, on February 21, 2023, of the five drug trafficking charges that revolve around the indictment of who received millions of dollars from the Sinaloa cartel in exchange for protection.
García Luna’s lawyers are expected to appeal the conviction and some subsequent negotiation with the Department of Justice to reduce his sentence in exchange for his cooperation against other suspects is not ruled out.
