Drug Lord's Wife to Run El Chapo Clothing Line

With plenty of time on his hands, Joaquín Guzmán has signed a contract in his prison cell to market a clothing line bearing his name and signature. His wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, will run the new company. "This project is an idea Joaquin and I have had for a long time," she told the Daily News. The products will be a blend of their ideas, she says—"a little bit of my style and his style." Coronel, 29, was a beauty queen who has long had an interest in fashion. The line is expected to launch this summer. "Our greatest inspiration is our daughters," she said. The 7-year-old twins appeared in court during their father's trial, wearing matching white blazers with black bows in their hair. Guzman, 61, the leader of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, was convicted in February of drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms possession after a trial in New York. He's awaiting sentencing.

Guzman will not earn any money from the company, which is officially called El Chapo Guzman: JGL LLC, a lawyer who has worked with him told CNN. "He wanted to be able to set something up—a legitimate enterprise—for the benefit of his wife and his two daughters," the lawyer said. Court records show that Guzman had to receive permission to sign the civil contract turning over his intellectual property rights to the new LLC. One expert said authorities could try to seize assets from the company under "Son of Sam" laws, which New York enacted to prevent convicts from profiting on the fame gained through committing crimes. Clothes have been sold before with Guzman's name on them, the Daily News points out, but only this line will officially be the El Chapo signature line. Coronel said she'll start with a line of caps. "During the process, as it evolves, I'll see where my ideas take me," she said. (When Guzman was convicted, his wife gave him a subtle gesture.)