SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman recently sent a letter to the judge who sentenced him to life in prison complaining about the lack of access to his lawyer and other inmates.
Border Report obtained a copy of the letter. It is dated July 15, 2025, and addressed to Judge Brian Cogan of New York’s East District Court. In it, Guzman also protests about “psychological torment” in prison and not being able to use the phone or go outside “to take in some sun.”
According to his lawyer, Guzman says he has not been able to communicate with his attorney for the last 10 months.
A copy of the letter was obtained by Guzman’s new lawyer, Israel José Encinosa, who has been representing the infamous Sinaloa cartel boss since July 1.
According to Encinosa, who works out of Florida, “El Chapo” writes that it is “vital” he communicate with his new legal counsel.
In 2019, Guzman was sentenced to life in prison and is now at a maximum security facility in Colorado, known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies.”
For several years now, he has been asking for a new trial, but his requests have been denied repeatedly.
In the letter, Guzman also describes how his daughters and wife are prevented from paying him visits.
No comment about the letter was issued by Cogan or federal court officials in New York.
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