On Thursday, December 18th, officials from the Department of Justice in the United States announced that a judge in Wisconsin has been found guilty of obstructing federal court proceedings, which is a serious offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
After six hours of deliberation, a federal jury reached a guilty verdict against 66-year-old Hannah Dugan, who serves as a circuit court judge in Milwaukee County. She was found guilty of obstructing federal court proceedings.
The jury also ruled that she was not guilty of one of the two charges against her, which was harboring a fugitive from arrest.
Dugan, who pleaded not guilty, was accused of intentionally helping an illegal immigrant from Mexico, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, evade arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
According to the prosecution, on April 18th, Flores-Ruiz was appearing in court on domestic violence charges when Dugan, during a break in the proceedings, distracted federal agents and assisted Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer in leaving through a non-public exit. Flores-Ruiz was briefly able to flee before being apprehended outside the courthouse.
Federal court records show that after pleading guilty earlier this month, Flores-Ruiz was sentenced to time served and has been deported by the Department of Homeland Security.
Following her indictment, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan from her duties, stating in an order that “for the public interest, she is temporarily relieved of her position.”
During the week-long trial, prosecutors presented transcripts and recordings that showed Dugan telling her court reporter that she might get in trouble for escorting Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer through a side door.
Dugan did not testify during the trial. Prosecutor Keith Alexander told the court, “She deliberately orchestrated Flores-Ruiz’s escape; she knew what she was doing, but she did it anyway.”
In her defense, Dugan’s lawyers argued that she was simply escorting him and his lawyer to the hallway, following a protocol that required staff to report the presence of ICE agents in the court immediately to their superiors. They cited previous incidents in the court where ICE arrests had led to chaos.
The Department of Justice had issued orders for prosecutors to charge local activists and officials who were believed to obstruct the enforcement activities of ICE and resist mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
(References: Reuters, ABC News)