El Chapo appeals life sentence for decades-long reign over drug cartel

Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman is appealing his life sentence — plus 30 years — for his decades-long reign over the Sinaloa cartel.

Defense lawyer Mark Fernich filed the notice of appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Thursday, a day after the 62-year-old crime kingpin was sentenced in a federal courtroom in Brooklyn.

Guzman claimed during sentencing that he had received an unfair trial that was tainted by juror misconduct – referring to an article that said several members of the jury violated a court order by reading news reports and social media posts about the case.

“I was extradited to the US to have a fair trial, where justice would be blind to my fame and would not be a defining factor in the administration of justice,” he said in court. “But what happened was actually the opposite.

Judge Brian Cogan also ordered Guzman to forfeit $12.6 billion, saying he would determine later how much he must pay in restitution

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