Verdict Reached In Snapchat Murder-For-Hire Plot Against Border Patrol Chief

CHICAGO — Following several hours of deliberation Thursday, a jury found Juan Espinoza Martinez, the Chicago man accused of putting a bounty on the life of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino not guilty. It marks the first trial tied to "Operation Midway Blitz," the campaign launched by the Department of Homeland Security in September to target what the government calls "criminal illegal aliens" in Chicago and throughout the state.

NBC Chicago is reporting the jury took a little over three hours to reach a verdict after getting the case at around 12:45 p.m. Closing arguments took up the morning at Chicago's Dirksen Federal Courthouse.

Federal prosecutors were alleging Espinoza Martinez was a gang member, who used Snapchat to put a $10,000 bounty on Bovino's life.

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