EMMA CORONEL AISPURO WIFE OF " EL CHAPO" GUZMAN

Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has been a constant presence in the courtroom throughout his Brooklyn federal trial.

Emma Coronel Aispuro during pre trial hearing 9/20/18

 Like star-crossed lovers in a lurid narconovela, they would steal doting glances at one another from across the courtroom, with Guzman at the defense table, and Coronel in the gallery.

"El Chapo" Guzman waving to his wife in the audience during a pre trial hearing 

Emma Coronel Aispuro during opening statements, seated behind the "in house" press 11/13/18

Emma Coronel Aispuro seated in court during trial testimony in the row reserved for her

Emma Coronel Aispuro seated in court the day of summations 1/2019

As the jury now weighs Guzman's fate, the former beauty queen still pops into court in support of her husband, who faces 10 counts in a massive cocaine conspiracy.

Emma Coronel speaking to spectators during day one of deliberations 

While Coronel carries herself with the same effortless air she embodied during some three months of opening arguments, witness testimony, and closing arguments, an air of tiredness appears to be creeping in.

Emma Coronel Aispuro during day two of deliberations 

Coronel nevertheless continues to channel the same glamour that has made her as much a star of the trial as her purported kingpin spouse, sporting form-fitting clothing, sky-high heels, and a perfectly coiffed cascade of black hair when she appears.

Emma Coronel Aispuro during day four of deliberations

NY DAILY NEWS: Witness at El Chapo's trial testifies about bribe payment to DEA agent

Witness at El Chapo trial testifies about bribe payment to DEA agent made on behalf of Colombian cartel group

By MOLLY CRANE-NEWMAN

JAN 16, 2019 | 12:55 PM

Artwork by Elizabeth Williams 

Alex Cifuentes tesifies via interpreter
( click on an image to see larger)

El Chapo’s former secretary testified Wednesday about bribe payments made to a DEA agent on behalf of members of a Colombian cartel group.

During his fourth morning on the stand, Alex Cifuentes, 50, told the court under cross-examination that his brother Francisco Ivan (Pacho) Cifuentes Villa authorized a payment to an agent with the DEA. The payout was given to the U.S. law enforcement officer inside a “cell phone box” at a restaurant located near an airport in Colombia, Cifuentes testified.

El Chapo defense table

“There were some dollars in there,” Cifuentes said of the package, adding that he was unsure of whether the money was intended as a gift or a bribe.

The agent was not named during the testimony, nor the date or exact location of where the alleged bribe took place.Pacho Cifuentes led the notorious Cifuentes-Villa drug trafficking cartel until his assassination in 2007. Jurors heard earlier in the trial about his early beginnings in the trade working as a pilot for Pablo Escobar. The revelation came out during questioning about statements the witness gave during debriefings following his extradition to the U.S. in 2016.

Emma Coronel Aispuro seated in court

Cifuentes also spoke of bribe payments paid to a Colombian general identified as Naranjo — made by members of his drug-trafficking family and not El Chapo — and members of the Colombian air force.

On Tuesday, the turncoat prompted international headlines after testifying about a $100-million bribe payment El Chapo, whose real name is Joaquín Guzmán Loera, allegedly made to the former president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, in October 2012.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan questioned the validity of the witness’s bombshell claims and suggested prosecutors may not have brought them up under direct examination as they simply don’t believe them.

“Or maybe they’re desperately trying to protect the Mexican government,” defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman responded.