The attorney for reputed Sinaloa drug cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada filed a motion in New York federal court asking to be assigned as an attorney in the case against his client, the latest legal maneuver that could see the accused drug kingpin’s trial moved out of El Paso.
Frank A. Perez, a Dallas attorney, filed a motion Thursday, Aug. 8, “to appear pro hac vice” to represent Zambada in a drug trafficking and money laundering case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn.
Pro hac vice is Latin for “for this occasion” or “for this time only.” The motion is asking for Perez to be allowed to “argue and try this case in whole or in part as lead counsel” for Zambada. The motion states Perez is licensed to practice in Texas federal court, has no disciplinary proceedings against him, and has not been barred from representing a client by any court.
Federal court records do not show if the motion has been approved by a judge. However, Perez is listed as Zambada’s lead attorney in New York federal court records.
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