>>> THIS IS AN NBC NEWS SPECIAL
REPORT.
HERE'S CHRIS JANSING.
>>> GOOD DAY, EVERYONE, WE'RE
COMING ON THE AIR WITH BREAKING
NEWS, A VERDICT HAS BEEN REACHED
IN THE TRIAL OF THE MAN KNOWN AS
EL CHAPO.
JOAQUIN GUZMAN, FOR YEARS THE
MOST POWERFUL AND NOTORIOUS
LEADER OF THE SINALOA DRUG
CARTEL.
HE'S 61 AND HAS BEEN ON TRIAL IN
NEW YORK CITY UNDER HEAVY
SECURITY SINCE MID-NOVEMBER
AFTER BEING EXTRADITED IN 2017.
GUZMAN WAS CAPTURED BY MEXICAN
AUTHORITIES IN A GUN BATTLE JUST
OVER THREE YEARS AGO AFTER
HAVING TWICE DRAMATICALLY
ESCAPED FROM MEXICAN PRISONS.
REHEMA ELLIS IS IN BROOKLYN, NEW
YORK, AT THE COURTHOUSE.
WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
>> Reporter: THE VERDICT IS
GUILTY ON ALL TEN COUNTS THAT HE
WAS BEING TRIED AGAINST.
AND MOST SIGNIFICANT, COUNT
NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS ENGAGING IN
CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE, FOUND
GUILTY ON THAT AND THIS IS THE
ONE THAT THE PROSECUTORS WERE
REALLY HOPING FOR.
BECAUSE IT'S MOST SIGNIFICANT.
GUILTY VERDICT ON THIS MEANS HE
COULD FACE LIFE IN PRISON WITH
NO POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE IN A
MAXIMUM SECURITY FEDERAL PRISON.
ONCE AGAIN, GUILTY ON ALL TEN
COUNTS.
AND THE JURY OF EIGHT WOMEN AND
FOUR MEN, THEY HAD BEEN
DEBILITATING FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
THIS IS THE SIXTH DAY IN THEIR
SECOND WEEK OF DELIBERATION IN
THIS TRIAL THAT HAS GONE ON FOR
MORE THAN THREE MONTHS IN A CASE
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES HAD BEEN
LOOKING INTO FOR OVER A DECADE.
NOW THEY HAVE WHAT THEY HAD BEEN
HOPING FOR, A GUILTY VERDICT ON
ALL TEN COUNTS.
>> LET ME BRING IN PETE WILLIAMS
IN WASHINGTON, OUR JUSTICE
CORRESPONDENT.
IT WAS QUITE A STARTLING TRIAL,
STORIES OF MURDER, THE RAPE OF
LITTLE GIRLS, OF SLUSH FUNDS
SEASONALLY TO PAY OFF GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS.
THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO WAS ONCE ON
THE FORBES BILLIONAIRE'S LIST.
HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THIS
PROSECUTION AND GUILTY VERDICT?
>> IT'S HUGE FOR A COUPLE RAEZ
ARES.
ONE IS FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
PERSPECTIVE IS, THE JURY HAD AN
EIGHT-PAGE BALLOT TO FILL OUT,
NOT ONLY THE TEN COUNTS BUT
SUBPOINTS WITHIN THE COUNTS THAT
WOULD LEAD TO HOW BIG HIS
SENTENCE IS.
REHEMA POINTED OUT HE FACES A
MAXIMUM OF LIFE IN PRISON WITH
BE THAT'S BECAUSE WHEN THE
MEXICAN AUTHORITIES AGREED TO
EXTRADITE HIM TO THE U.S., THE
U.S. SAID THEY WOULD NOT TRY HIM
WITH ANY CAPITAL COUNTS THAT
COULD LEAD TO THE DEATH PENALTY
EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS AMPLE
EVIDENCE, THE PROSECUTOR SAID,
THAT HE DIRECTED A LARGE NUMBER
OF KILLINGS IN MEXICO OF
POTENTIAL THREATS.
THE ACTUAL -- EVERYTHING ABOUT
THIS TRIAL WAS LARGER THAN LIFE,
INCLUDING HOW THE MEXICAN
AUTHORITIES FINALLY TRACKED HIM
DOWN.
IT WAS AFTER THE ACTOR BRAD PITT
WENT DOWN TO INTERVIEW HIM, THE
COMMUNICATIONS THAT SET UP THAT
INTERVIEW -- SHAWN PENN, RATHER,
HELPED LEAD AUTHORITIES TO WHERE
HE WAS HIDING OUT.
THEN OF COURSE AT THE VERY LAST
MINUTE, IN THE CLOSING MINUTES,
LITERALLY, OF THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION, HE WAS FLOWN TO
THE U.S. UNDER HEAVY SECURITY.
THE MEXICAN AUTHORITIES EAGER TO
DO THAT BEFORE PRESIDENT TRUMP
TOOK OFFICE, AS A SORT OF GIFT
TO THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION FOR
YEARS OF COOPERATION IN TRACKING
HIM DOWN.
SO IT'S SYMBOLICALLY IMPORTANT,
AS A MATTER OF JUSTICE, IT'S
SYMBOLICALLY IMPORTANT, TOO, TO
SHOW THE U.S. WILL TRACK THESE
DRUG LORDS.
UNFORTUNATELY, OF COURSE, IT
DOESN'T PUT MUCH OF A DEN THE
INTO IT THE RELENTLESS FLOW OF
DRUGS INTO THE U.S. BECAUSE
OTHERS SIMPLY PICK UP WHERE HE
LEFT OFF.
>> WHAT HAPPENS NOW, PETE?
WHERE IS HE LIKELY TO GO?
THIS IS A TRIAL WITH THE KIND OF
SECURITY WE HAVE RARELY SEEN
ANYWHERE.
>> RIGHT.
THE KIND OF TRIAL -- THE KIND OF
SECURITY YOU WOULD ORDINARILY
SEE IN A TERRORISM TRIAL, FOR
EXAMPLE, THE JURORS HAVE BEEN
SEQUESTERED.
THE NAMES HAVE NOT BEEN MADE
PUBLIC.
ALL SORTS OF PRECAUTIONS TAKEN
BECAUSE OF THE HISTORY THAT HE
HAS HERE.
BUT HE WILL -- HE WILL BE
SENTENCED AND THESE PLUS FACTORS
THAT THE JURY HAD TO DECIDE ON,
THE QUANTITY OF DRUGS HE WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR MARKETING INTO
THE U.S., SMUGGLING IN HERE, THE
AMOUNT OF MONEY INVOLVED, ALL OF
THAT WILL GO INTO THE SIZE OF
HIS SENTENCE, BUT I THINK IT'S
FAIR PREDICTION, HE'S 61, HE'S
GOING TO SPEND THE REST OF HIS
LIFE IN A U.S. PRISON.
>> PETE WILLIAMS, THANK YOU FOR
THAT.
DRUG KINGPIN, JOAQUIN GUZMAN, EL
CHAPO, AGAIN, FOUND GUILTY ON
ALL COUNTS, LIKELY TO SPEND THE
REST OF HIS LIFE IN A MAXIMUM
SECURITY FEDERAL PRISON WITH NO
CHANCE OF PAROLE.
WE'LL BE FOLLOWING DEVELOPMENTS
IN THIS STORY THROUGHOUT THE DAY