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El Chapo to seek new trial after reports of jury misconduct

The drug lord's defense team said Friday it plans to request an evidentiary hearing "to determine the extent of the misconduct."
Image: Joaquin \"El Chapo\" Guzman is escorted by soldiers during a presentation in Mexico City, Jan. 8, 2016.
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted by soldiers during a presentation in Mexico City, Jan. 8, 2016.Tomas Bravo / Reuters file

Attorneys for drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman are asking for a new trial in light of what they say was jury misconduct during his drug conspiracy trial.

Guzman's defense team said Friday it plans to request an evidentiary hearing "to determine the extent of the misconduct."

The filing came two days after VICE News reported that several jurors improperly followed media accounts of the three-month trial despite a federal judge's repeated instructions to avoid press coverage of the proceedings.

Image: The accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in Brooklyn federal court in New York
The accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is seen in this courtroom sketch on the day he was found guilty of smuggling drugs to the United States, in Brooklyn federal court in New York on Feb. 12, 2019.Jane Rosenberg / Reuters file

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn declined to comment.

Guzman was convicted last week of murder conspiracy and drug-trafficking charges. He faces life in prison at his June sentencing.

His attorneys also asked for an additional month to prepare their motion for new trial based on the jury misconduct allegations.