Borderland Beat
Background
Alejandrina Gisselle. Guzman. Salazar pleads not Guilty
A woman described by U.S. officials as a daughter of Mexico's most-wanted drug lord pleaded not guilty Thursday to an immigration charge during a brief hearing in San Diego that made no mention of her family background.
Alejandrina Gisselle Guzman Salazar, 31, looked straight ahead and spoke quietly as she entered her plea and waived her right to seek bail.
Three U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an investigation that has not been made public have said Guzman Salazar identified herself to border inspectors as a daughter of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, head of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel.
Guzman Salazar is charged with document fraud, making false statements to federal officials and identity theft. She allegedly tried to enter the United States on Oct. 12 at San Diego's San Ysidro port of entry with someone else's Mexican passport and a U.S. visa.
Guzman Salazar told authorities she intended to go to Los Angeles to give birth to her child, according to the complaint. One U.S. official said she told authorities she was six months pregnant.
Wearing a loose-fitting jail blouse, she showed no obvious signs of pregnancy during her court appearance. She did not turn to the audience even once, leaving the packed courtroom to see only her curly-haired ponytail that ran down her back.
Guzman Salazar hired a new attorney, Frank Morell, who did not immediately respond to a phone message after the hearing. No explanation for the attorney change was given in court.
Her previous attorneys, Jan Ronis and Guadalupe Valencia, have represented clients linked to organized crime. Ronis' clients have included Benjamin Arellano Felix, who was head of the Tijuana-based cartel that bore his family name.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jan Alder scheduled a pretrial hearing for Nov. 30.
The Sinaloa cartel, named after the Pacific coast state of the same name, controls trafficking along much of the U.S. border with Mexico, particularly in Western states.
Guzman Salazar's mother is Maria Alejandrina Hernandez Salazar, according to one U.S. official. The U.S. Treasury Department described Hernandez Salazar as Joaquin Guzman's wife when it imposed financial sanctions on her in June.
Guzmán Salazar, who appeared before Judge Jan Adler in a brief hearing wearing a faded red prison uniform, said not guilty of illegally entering the country, to use foreign documents and lying to authorities, orally and in writing. The girl, who betrayed her pregnancy, shall appear before the court on 30November.
Alejandrina Gisselle Guzmán Salazar who has been identified by U.S. officials as the alleged daughter of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, said through her lawyers not guilty of half dozen immigration charges.
Authorities in the U.S. and Mexico have said they believe "el Chapo" Guzman has children with several partners, though it's not clear how many. The U.S. Treasury Department has put sanctions on sons Ivan Archivaldo "El Chapito" Guzman Salazar, 31, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 22.Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 26, was indicted with his father on multiple drug trafficking charges in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in August 2009.
