El Chapo's jailhouse guest list
An ABC7 I-Team Investigation
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Who is visiting the notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in jail?
El Chapo's guest list doesn't include movie star Sean Penn, who secretly met with the drug lord when Chapo was a fugitive in Mexico, nor have his visitors included any family members. Chapo hasn't asked to see his children, and the government doesn't want him seeing his wife.
The drug kingpin's attorneys said being in solitary confinement has cramped their preparation for the case. Prosecutors maintain that isn't so.
Federal prosecutors are fighting to keep El Chapo locked in the Special Housing Unit at the MCC New York, known as "the Shu." Special administrative measures allow near round-the-clock solitary confinement and tight restrictions on visitors.
Even as Chapo's attorneys have asked that his Shu confinement be lifted, newly-filed court records by the government show that 22 lawyers have spent about five hours per day with the drug cartel leader, along with other assorted legal types, including paralegals, investigators and interpreters.
One person denied access is El Chapo's wife, Emma Coronel, the Mexican beauty queen with the fugitive when he was arrested.
In January of 2016, Chapo was cooking breakfast for her when Mexican Marines ended their life on the run.
Authorities argue that El Chapo has to be locked up under harsh conditions because of his propensity for disregarding rules and laws. They are concerned that Chapo would use third parties to try to escape, run the cartel from behind bars and carry out acts of violence against cooperating witnesses; among them, the Flores brothers from Chicago.
The Pilsen twins are expected to be prime witnesses against Sinaloa cartel billionaire El Chapo, and federal prosecutors argue all witnesses would be in jeopardy if Chapo has less supervision.
Pedro and Margarito Flores are expected to testify during his trial concerning their personal involvement with the Mexican cartel kingpin. The Flores twins made secret recordings of conversations with Chapo.
