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Monday, July 25, 2022

Chicago Twin Pedro Flores Testifies Feds Promised Wife Would Get A Pass In Exchange For His Cooperation Against ‘El Chapo’

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Pedro Flores, a Chicago drug trafficker who along with his twin brother helped federal authorities build a case against Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, testified Monday that he was promised his wife and other family members would not be prosecuted for any drug-related activities.

This undated photo from a wanted poster released by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Pedro Flores. (U.S. Marshals Service)

Flores’ unusual testimony came in the money laundering case against his wife, Vivianna Lopez, and his sister-in-law, Valerie Gaytan, who are accused of hiding millions of dollars in their husbands’ drug proceeds from investigators and spending it on lavish trips, private school tuition and other living expenses.

Testifying via a video link, Flores said the lead prosecutor handling his case, then-Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Shakeshaft, promised him his family would get a pass at their first in-person meeting in Monterrey, Mexico in 2008.

When U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly asked Flores if the promise by Shakeshaft was ever repeated, Flores answered, “Yes, multiple times throughout my cooperation.”

Flores acknowledged, however, that the promise of immunity was never put in writing and that there was no mention of it in the plea agreement he and his brother, Margarito Flores Jr., signed in secret in 2012.

“Your honor, at that time I believed all those things already -- in my understanding all those things had been taken care of,” Flores, who remains in hiding after serving a 14-year sentence for drug trafficking, said in a soft voice. “I thought my family was good.”

Shakeshaft had been expected to testify about those negotiations, but he died last week at age 55 after years of health issues.

Flores’ testimony comes nearly four years after he last appeared in court, testifying in the landmark criminal case against El Chapo himself in federal court in New York.

By agreeing to answer questions under oath, Flores has potentially exposed himself to legal pitfalls. As part of their plea deal, the brothers agreed to forfeit about $4 million that their wives and older brother had collected from an associate in Washington D.C.

But that deal called for only $300,000 to be provided to their wives for living expenses of while they were in prison. Flores admitted Monday that his wife and other family members had secretly accessed far more drug proceeds than they told the government about.

On cross examination, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erika Csicsila asked Flores if he understood that “the government can’t immunize someone for something they don’t know about.”

“I’m not sure ma’am. I’m not an attorney,” Flores responded.

Gaytan, 47, and Lopez, 42, were indicted in U.S. District Court in Chicago last year on money laundering charges alleging they’d hidden millions of their husbands’ drug proceeds from the government over a 12-year period.

The indictment alleged the cash, much of it still in small denominations, was hauled across the border in rental trucks, secretly recouped from the twins’ associates in the U.S., hidden in trap compartments in vehicles and stash houses, and buried under their older brother’s home near Austin, Texas.

According to the indictment, Gaytan and Lopez and a network of relatives later conspired to launder the money through currency exchanges, credit cards, money orders, gift cards and the U.S. mail.

They allegedly used the money to fund at least a sliver of the lifestyle they’d grown accustomed to when their husbands were on the top of the cartel heap, spending more than $165,000 on private school tuition for their children, $100,000 in international and domestic travel, $80,000 for Lopez’s rent and $11,000 in child support.

Lopez also allegedly sent $5,000 of the laundered money to her husband in prison and spent another $31,000 on a laundry business she opened in Arizona after the family went into hiding, according to the indictment.

So far, two members of the alleged conspiracy have pleaded guilty: Armando Flores, 53, of Round Rock, Texas, the older brother of the twins, who helped them break into the drug business three decades ago; and Bianca Finnigan, 33, of Sycamore, Illinois, who is Lopez’s sister.

Lopez’s aunt, Laura Lopez, 59, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

The wives’ claim of immunity has been hotly contested by prosecutors, and the bid to dismiss the charges is widely regarded as a legal long shot. Still, Kennelly it holding the evidentiary hearing to try to get to the bottom of what — if any — promises were made.

Also testifying Monday was former Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Fels, who questioned Pedro Flores during Guzman’s trial in 2018. Other expected witnesses include the U.S. Drug Administration agents who met with the Flores brothers during their cooperation.

Chicago Tribune

71 comments:

  1. LOL all the CJNG fan girls won't menchon these 2 guys were from Jalisco.

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    1. They were connected to CDS. The KingRat® called them "mi gente", El Ratoncillo would call them carnales. Birds of a feather flock together

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    2. Eran de JALISCO fangirl.

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    3. They are not from Jalisco I believe their dad was from Sinaloa

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    4. Wrong. Son plebes de Sinaloa

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    5. Yea no homie his dad from sinaloa or Durango around that area

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    6. Who cares where there from ?

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    7. Su familia es de Zacatecas. Who ever said they’re from Jalisco? They went to hide in Vallarta a bit but, that’s it.

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    8. Lmao. All the CJNG fangirls came outta the woodwork for this one. Sorry to break it to you mijas but the biggest rats in the game were from a little rancho in Jalisco named San Juan. They Betrayed King Kato to take his hyna and if it makes you jotos feel any better Mencho was still a part of CDS.😉😚

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    9. https://youtu.be/ETDDv_KNfds

      No lloren mijas. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    10. I can't believe how stupid our BB commenters are 🤦

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    11. Kato robbed them thinking shit was sweet. He ended up dead and one of the twins took his girl after.

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    12. @12:21 whataboutism. They can be from Zapopan como Los Chapitos and many other JRS from Sinaloa or Durango. Who cares. The facts are the twins were working with Chapo, Mayo, El Ingeniero Cabrera, Trébol, Alfredo Guzmán. All of them got indicted for supplying Flores. Even the BLO were sending them product.
      LFM had an alliance CDS and basically in a sexenio they got dismantled. Coincidence?
      Milenio on the other hand had a partnership with ICV aka huaraches de oro and they were really working on the crystal and minding their plazas and businesses.

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    13. Biggest 🐀🐀🐀 in the game where from JALISCO. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    14. https://youtu.be/pNSDPuQxKu8

      Part 2. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    15. https://youtu.be/pNSDPuQxKu8

      King 🐀 🐀 🐀 where from JALISCO. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    16. 1:42 Kato Rangel did not need to steal shit from anybody, he was successful enough by himself, his only problem was his wife was too pretty to be left alone and the Flores twin wanted her, accusing someone of stealing has been the trick used by many crooks to steal everything from them, both twins' wives are daughters of Chicago police officers.

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    17. They're from Sinaloa.

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    18. Agreed. I would not be surprised if she set Kato up as well.

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    19. Jaliscos are in denile. They can't wait for this article to get lost in the archives. LMAO Biggest rats in the game where from JALISCO. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    20. 11:11 *denial. That's not even autofill- that's illiteracy. Maybe spend more time studying and less time making stupid comments.

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    21. Jalisko are en directile.

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    22. Dude who made the video got it wrong. They’re from Jalpa, Zacatecas. I literally know people related to them. Even if they were from Jalisco why are you so mad at people from Jalisco? They did something to hurt your feelings or what? 😂

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    23. 1132 AMLO nutthugger lawyer you have come out from under your rock to belittle 1111. Next you will tell me to finish night school or to get my GEDcertificat.

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    24. @2:11 if I remember correctly their supplier or one of the main ones was from Zacatecas.

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    25. They're from Chicago, they can't even speak Spanish decently and their wives don't speak spanish

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    26. 11:11 They can be from jalisco if you want to, but when ever you hear or read the word "SNITCH" theres only one cartel that it reminds you, a state in specific, and you know damn well what im talking about 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    27. Jalisco has the 2 biggest rats in the game. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    28. 11:41 i thaught chapo and mayo were from Sinaloa 🤣🤣🤣🤣🐁🐁🐁

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    29. @11:41 so you're saying the twins were bigger than Sapo, Ratoncillo and his tio el Buey Zamrata?

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    30. 943, estas tontito? The reason Chapo, Vicente and Rey got busted was cause the twins from JALISCO snitched. They recorded conversations and provided phone numbers. They shitted their chonis when Beltranes threatened them if they continued working with Chapos and Zambadas. Jalisco cheerleaders wanna act like that's not how it went down but unfortunately that's it. 2 twins from JALISCO snitched on Guzmans and Zambadas. I understand its a hard pill to swallow. I can see you Jalisco cheerleaders punchin the air and crying "please say it aint so!😭😭😭😭" but thats it. Thats how the snitch party started. LMAO.

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    31. 9:44 🤣🤣🤣 el imbezil erea tu, chapo snitched on Rey y le puso un cuatro a ratita Zambada y los twin se la regresaron al chaputillo, el que a hierro mata a hierro muere, at least know the details, pinche mitotero, tipico snitchloa 🐁🐁🐁

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    32. 834, cool story bro. Keep telling yourself. LMAO lemme repeat it one more time cause apparently you're a tontito and you have to read things more than once to get it.

      Jalisco cheerleaders (You included) wanna act like that's not how it went (you're the prime example) down but unfortunately that's it. 2 twins from JALISCO (Pedro and Margarito Flores) snitched on Guzmans and Zambadas, and that's how the snitch party started.

      Unlike you, I'm not making this up. The twins took the stand and that's how they told the story pretty much. It's obviously hard to accept but the facts are there. 2 biggest rats in the game are 2 twins from JALISCO 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    33. 8:46 Sure my non tontito dude, you can kick, cry and scream but CDS is already know as the biggest Rats in the game, cjng is 20 years behind all the anitching Cds has done, i mean all you have to do is say the wors SNITCH and to 100% of the people Cds comes to mind hands down, dice el dicho "haste fama y hechate a dormir" Lla la fama la tienen snitches 😂😂😂😂

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    34. 1134 all I got from you my tontito friend is that you're a Jalisco cheerleader who's having a hard time accepting that the Flores twins are the biggest rats in the game and they're from JALISCO. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I get it, you don't wanna accept it. You're the cheerleader I'm talking about when i say JALISCOS are punching the air talking about " say it aint so!" Esta bien mija, no pasa nada.

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    35. 5:45 and all i got from you is that you are a snitchloa trying to get rid of the snitch moniker, its a lost battle, ill give a metal for trying but its not happening not today not tomorrow maybe in like 20 years but not today 🥉 here you go, keep trying for another 20 years 😉

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  2. Never ever trust anyone with the name Shakeshaft...lol

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    1. @9:01pm lol "Shakeshaft." Sounds like the name of a pimp in a Charles Dickens novel.

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  3. SOL wassup. Be easy.

    This Flores guy looks exactly like an old business partner I had that was NEVER good. My goodness they could also be twins.

    WOOOOW

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  4. If he didn't get it in writing, it wasn't promised. At the plea hearing the judge always asks, "were any other promises made?" The feds are pretty thorough with this.

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    1. If you ever had experience with this you should know the feds don't care. They play dirty.

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    2. Exactly they don’t care about the rats they just use them and then try to put them in jail when they are done

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    3. The point is they were promised immunity to stop committing crimes, and the wife’s and all the twins family members started laundering millions of $ so the immunity deal means shit

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  5. Chapo snitched LOLOLOLOLOL

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  6. These twins and their wives are a bunch of dumbasses.

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  7. They meant won't make a pass at their money grubbing thots.

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  8. Those fat Mexican beaches needed to spend the $$$ on lypo, botox and cosmetic surgery and the judge would understand it was needed expenses!

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  9. The reality is, the brothers new that if they somehow did not upkeep their wives lifestyle, they would leave them for some other drug dealer. Further than that, How can you trust a woman that left her man for you? As far as I’m concerned, these two ladies have to pay their part now. You wanna date a drug dealer, this is what you get.

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  10. These twins played the system very well, and to their advantage. Yes, their dad got whacked but the overall strategy worked… make a shitload of money, work work the feds, get into witness protection program, and live. These dudes have carisma, they showed up and they were easy to trust, they had game.

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  11. Is the 5 minutes of fame over for these rats now or what?! They just keep on trying to get some attention.

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  12. Every one of you motherfackers who are calling them a rat. So you would rather keep your trap shut and rot in a Fed prison for 50 years. You're a god damn liar.

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    1. Agreed. Online there is an ex convict who interviews other ex convicts. One of the guys he interviewed (a white collar ex convict) stated that he cut his 25 year federal sentence in half by snitching on other inmates who would tell him about crimes they had committed but weren’t caught or convicted (hiding money, murders, etc) he said his whole mindset was he had a son, so he was not going to be in jail for 22 years, and he didn’t care about the “G code” because it was all BS. The interviewer was literally disgusted with him saying that he was sending the wrong message, which was “I can commit crimes and later on I’ll just snitch and go free”. Got me thinking. if someone wants to convince me against snitching by simply deterring me from committing crimes in the first place, I can agree with that. But if someone tells me to not snitch becasue of this so called street code, I can’t stand behind that. Because history has shown that even the most notorious gangsters cooperate and become informants when the powers that be throw big numbers at them.

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    2. @4:03, you hip to Blood on the Razor Wire? One of the best After Prison YouTube’s out there. He does legal work trying to get people out that have been down a long time as well. Solid guy.

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    3. @4:44 I’ll check it out brother thanks

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    4. @3:23 can't do the time don't do the crime. It's really as simple as that. Stupid MF be the ones robbing, gang banging and killing. How much does that pay? You're going to "invest" time in order to learn your "craft". Invest in yourself and stay in school. Everything takes time to learn, the 10,000hour book is interesting but a little dated regarding proficiency.
      MF claim to be hardcore but turn bitchmade when they catch hot cases and get decades. Just like CDS and IZI "MG". Jajajajaja.

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    5. People on here fighting about where they are from. Who cares? People cooperate from every city on this planet, yours included.

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    6. 6:47 but no body can compare to the sinaloas, those boys are on another level, if there was such thing as a 1-10 level chart, them sinaloas would be at a level 100

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    7. 3:23 Why do people still deffend this fucken rats? When you do a crime you should do the time, what's your oppinion on chomos?

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    8. 744 you're just mad that the biggest rats in the game are from Jalisco. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    9. 11:38 lets do a little exercise, Snitch!! Now tell me what's the first cartel that comes to mind? Be honest and that will give you the answear of who the real real snitches are 😉 you are welcome

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    10. @9:53. The point is, you come across as hard, would do a 40 year bid like it's nothing. Don't talk shit. The Feds will freight your ass to Leavenworth. Home of the real meateaters, son.

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    11. The weird thing about how Chapo was brought down is that in the end it was other midgets that finalized his demise. Lol.

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    12. 651 the biggest rats in the game came from Jalisco. Let that sink in mija. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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    13. As much as I enjoy the “who’s the biggest snitch “ banter, id like to give some food for thought. Most of these organized crime figures that we speak about here usually meet the criteria for Narcissistic and Anti-Social Personality Disorder. Among other things personality disorders are characterized by lack of regard for other people, manipulation, deceitfulness, superficial charm, and superficial empathy. When you have some time research personality disorders, and also look up “The Psychological profile of Joaquin Guzman Loera” He was diagnosed by a mental health professional with Anti Social personality Disorder (not sure if Mexico uses the DSM-5 or ICD 10, so in the article it may have a different name then I’m using). Point being, taking into consideration the above criteria, I would say it is safe to assume that these people will do ANYTHING to further their agenda. To include Snitching.And btw, politicians and Fortune 500 CEO’s also meet this criteria. So this isn’t exclusive to criminals like the man wants us to believe

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    14. @11:43 AM
      You, I like you. Interesting comments.

      Keep commenting and visiting the site. Make an account with a name.

      If you ever want to write something for BB, email me.

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    15. 11:39 thats new for me i didnt know chapo and mayo were from jalisco

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    16. 7:49 i dont come across as a hard guy, but Mayitos do, have you heard their corridos? Why make a corrido and talk about you been hard and shit if they are gonna snitch at the end? You are deffending the wrong guys my dude, you really think this mayos deserve a brake for moving real weight but a guy caught with a pound of weed deserves to serve 5 plus years? In my opinion your sentence should be as hard as your crime is, and thats that no other way around, you say you are not a rat than keep it real, if you are a rat dont come up with a corrido that says other wise cause you will be made fun of

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    17. 4:44
      Thanks for mentioning that guy. I never heard of him before. He got 40 years for 4 ounces. The Flores twins, tons and hundreds of murders and only 11 or 12 years (they got something like 18 or 22 and didn't even do the 85% of their sentences). This is what is wrong with our system. He has a right to be angry.
      Even if it was his third or fourth case, five years would have been more than adequate.

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  13. It blows my mind the wives thought it was a good idea to write a book and give interviews and how stupid they were about trying to stash $ away. There immunity deal has nothing to do with them stashing $ away after making a deal with prosecutors. Seriously they are soo dumb

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  14. It's crazy I grew up with these 2, if BB ever wants to publish some real background on them let me know, Latin kings protected them while they grew , they never banged but I knew they were big just not like that

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