The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the arrest of a criminal undocumented immigrant and member of the Latin Kings gang who allegedly placed a bounty on U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, the agency’s Commander at Large.
Court documents claim that Juan Espinoza Martinez offered members of the Latin Kings and others up to $2,000 for information about a senior Border Patrol official — and as much as $10,000 for carrying out the official’s murder.
Prosecutors have charged 37-year-old Juan Espinoza Martinez of Chicago with one count of murder-for-hire, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Investigators say Martinez sent a Snapchat message offering $2,000 for information and $10,000 to “take him down.”
The message allegedly included a photo of a senior law enforcement official who had recently taken part in immigration enforcement operations for the Border Patrol.
Cell phone footage captured the moment Espinoza Martinez was arrested Monday morning near several businesses in Burr Ridge, according to sources familiar with the situation.
As of Monday afternoon, officials from the Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol had not yet responded to requests for comment.
According to the complaint, investigators were informed by a confidential source that after a police-involved shooting on October 4, 2025 — which involved Border Patrol agents in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood — Martinez allegedly sent members of the Latin Kings to the area near 39th and Kedzie.
The Latin Kings, a street gang founded in Chicago, is reportedly involved in a range of serious crimes, including drug trafficking, extortion, murder, assault, and armed robbery, according to an affidavit.
Authorities also link the group to activities such as kidnapping, burglary, money laundering, racketeering, and intimidation.
Law enforcement records indicate that, over the years, the gang has been known to order killings targeting police officers, rival gang members, and even its own members who disobey commands.
