San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Juan Carlos “El Tigre” Bonilla, former police chief of Honduras, accused of drug trafficking and scheduled to face trial on February 5, 2024 in the Southern District Court of New York, has requested a change of defense.
Raoul Zaltzberg, who currently represents Bonilla, confirmed on December 19, 2023 that his client has submitted a request to be represented by another attorney in this case.
Zaltzberg, along with associate attorney Bernarda Villalona, has been defending Bonilla under the Criminal Justice Act (“CJA”).
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Zaltzberg was appointed as counsel on May 11, 2022, and Villalona joined as associate counsel on January 10, 2023.
Prosecutor’s Office makes a new request: “El Tigre” accepts and JOH says no
While the Southern District Court of New York considers Bonilla’s request, Judge Kevin Castel has ordered the appointment of César de Castro as additional counsel for the CJA. His role will be exclusively to advise the accused on pre-trial matters.
In a statement, Judge Castel emphasized that the trial date, scheduled for February 5, 2024, remains unchanged.
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This joint trial involves Juan Carlos Bonilla, Juan Orlando Hernández and Mauricio Hernández Pineda, all accused in connection with a drug trafficking case.
Despite the defenses requesting the separation of the trials, the request was denied, since the judge determined that the three were involved in a common plan or scheme.
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2023-12-20 23:17:13
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