Rubén Oseguera González, better known as El Menchito and son of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), has formally appealed his life sentence plus 30 years in the United States. His defense team filed the appeal before the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, arguing that the trial was plagued by irregularities and fueled by sensationalism surrounding his family ties.
Oseguera was convicted in March 2025 on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime. His lawyers contend that the jury was influenced by media coverage and unreliable testimonies, claiming the government sought to punish him as a proxy for his father, who remains at large. “They took what they could get,” the defense stated, insisting that the case lacked physical evidence directly linking him to cartel operations.
Currently, Oseguera is held at the ADX Florence supermax prison in Colorado, one of the most secure facilities in the U.S. Known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” the prison enforces extreme isolation and severe communication restrictions, limiting inmates to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement.
The appeal seeks either a new trial or a reduction in sentence, a move that could reshape one of the most high-profile cases against Mexican organized crime figures in recent years. Legal experts note that overturning such a sentence is rare, but the defense hopes to highlight procedural flaws and the prejudicial environment surrounding the case.
For now, El Menchito remains in isolation, awaiting the court’s decision—a process that could take months and reignite debate over how the U.S. prosecutes cartel leaders and their families.
Source: OEM
