Wives of El Chapo informants plead guilty to money laundering

2 men who cooperated against El Chapo surrendered to authorities in 2008
Authorities allege their wives kept drug proceeds in hidden places
Both women pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in April

Updated: Apr 24, 2023 / 08:17 AM CDT

(NewsNation) — The wives of two Chicago drug traffickers who became informants in the case against Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, boss of the Sinaloa cartel, have both pleaded guilty to money laundering, among other federal charges.

Court documents show that Vivianna Lopez, also known as Mia Flores, pleaded guilty on Thursday, while Valerie Gaytan, known as Olivia Flores, did so last Friday. According to an indictment the defendants laundered millions in drug trafficking proceeds generated by their husbands.

Lopez is married to Pedro Flores, while Gaytan is married to Margarito Flores. The two men, The Chicago Tribune wrote, ran a “massive” drug-trafficking operation in the city’s Little Village neighborhood.

The Flores brothers surrendered to federal authorities in December 2008, which is when they agreed to cooperate against El Chapo — but authorities say Lopez and Gaytan still had portions of their drug proceeds, which they stored in multiple locations.

“The conspirators allegedly laundered the money through the use of currency exchanges, credit cards, money orders, gift cards, U.S. mail deliveries, and other means,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois said in a 2021 news release.

Charges allege the two spent the money on private school tuition for their kids, travel, Lopez’s rent and child support for one of the husbands.

While the wives originally said they had been assured by prosecutors that their husband’s cooperation against Guzman meant they would not face charges themselves, The Chicago Tribune reported Judge Matthew Kennelly ruled in November that Lopez and Gaytan did not have immunity.

There was no indication of a “meeting of the minds” about a formal agreement, Kennelly said, according to the Tribune, and nothing was obtained in writing.

Gaytan’s lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon. Lopez’s attorney declined to comment. The women are set to be sentenced in July. The Chicago Tribune wrote a conviction comes with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but prosecutors anticipate a sentencing range of nine to a little more than 11 years in prison because of the circumstances of the case.