Two lawyers accused of passing cell phones to Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s wife in court will not be sanctioned, a judge ruled Thursday — but they are no longer allowed to have electronics inside the Brooklyn federal courthouse.
Prosecutors sought sanctions against attorney Michael Lambert and his paralegal Mariel Colon Miro in November, claiming the two had allowed Guzman and his spouse, Emma Coronel Aispuro, to communicate via cell phone.
In a series of sealed affidavits and sidebars, both Lambert and Colon denied the allegations, with Lambert saying he was simply using Google Translate to communicate with Coronel, as he speaks no Spanish.
But Brooklyn federal court Judge Brian Cogan Thursday offered a harsh warning to both of them, and rebuked the duo for their “lack of candor.”
“Mr. Lambert’s and Ms. Colon’s conduct demonstrates not only a flagrant disregard of the Court’s rules, but also a grave misunderstanding of the need for order and the importance of the security measures imposed in this case,” Cogan writes in his decision. “They are strongly cautioned that, in the future, they must be helpful, forthcoming, and candid in the representations they make to the Court.”
Coronel, for security reasons, is not allowed any form of communication with her husband, due to fears he might use her to pass messages. She is also not allowed to have any electronics in the courthouse.
Prosecutors had also asked that Colon be barred from spending any time alone with Coronel, but Cogan denied that request.
The Thursday ruling made public a series of previously sealed or redacted materials in which prosecutors explain how they think the defense team pulled off the alleged stunt.
“Based on a review of this footage and the time stamps, there was approximately eight minutes during which Ms. Colon was alone with the defendant in possession of her cellular telephone, while Ms. Coronel appears to have been simultaneously in the cafeteria in possession of a cellular telephone,” one document reads.
Reached by phone, Lambert called Cogan’s decision “nonsense.”
“For the court to basically impune my integrity in this manner is not only an insult, it’s completely incorrect,” he said.
Colon could not be immediately reached.
