Just over two years after Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was sentenced to life in prison, his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, received a three-year prison sentence of her own.
According to Reuters, a U.S. judge sentenced Aispuro to three years behind bars “after she pleaded guilty to helping the Sinaloa drug cartel.”
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Aispuro, who has become an internet subject of discussion as speculation about her plea and inevitable prison sentence has grown, reportedly asked U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras “to show her mercy.”
“With all due respect, I address you today to express my true regret for any and all harm that I may have done, and I ask that you and all the citizens of this country forgive me,” she told Contreras through an interpreter.
After pleading guilty to distributing illegal drugs, conspiring to launder money and engaging in financial dealings with the Sinaloa drug cartel, federal prosecutors reportedly sought a four-year prison sentence, and for Aispuro to forfeit $1.5 million. Ultimately, Aispuro received a three-year sentence, and according to Anthony Nardozzi, a federal prosecutor, her sentence reflects the minimal role she played in her husband’s much larger operation.
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“While the overall effect of the defendant’s conduct was significant, the defendant’s actual role was a minimal one. The defendant acted primarily in support of her husband,” Nardozzi said, noting that Aispuro “quickly accepted responsibility for her criminal conduct.”
Contreras, who said he weighed the fact that she would be the sole caretaker for her children because of El Chapo’s life sentence, wished Aispuro luck with her sentence, and in taking care of her family.
“Good luck to you,” Contreras told Aispuro. “I hope that you raise your twins in a different environment than you’ve experienced today.”
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