A federal grand jury has officially indicted Judge Hannah Dugan of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in Wisconsin on Tuesday (May 13) for allegedly assisting an illegal immigrant in evading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest last month.
Dugan was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as early as April 25 and subsequently suspended from her judicial duties by the Wisconsin Supreme Court while facing further charges.
The indictment by the grand jury came after a review of evidence submitted by the prosecution, aiming to oversee prosecutorial powers and ensure that the case has sufficient grounds to proceed to trial.
Dugan is currently facing two federal criminal charges, including “hindering or obstruction of governmental functions or operations” and “concealing individuals to prevent their discovery and arrest.”
She is expected to appear in court again on May 15, where in addition to the progress of the criminal case, her attorney’s license may also face further disciplinary action.
Her defense attorney has stated that Dugan vehemently denies all charges and looks forward to proving her innocence through the judicial process.
According to related documents, the incident occurred on April 18 when Dugan was overseeing a domestic violence case involving a Mexican national, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. Flores-Ruiz had been deported in 2013, with no evidence indicating that he had legally reentered the country.
Immigration authorities and the FBI had planned to arrest Flores-Ruiz after the court proceedings. However, based on witness testimony and sworn statements, Dugan became emotional upon learning of the plan, exhibiting a confrontational and angry attitude.
She then instructed law enforcement to escort Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out of the courthouse through the “jury waiting area,” which is typically only used for escorted defendants and is not open to the public.
The affidavit stated that an officer discovered the unauthorized immigrant and his attorney in an elevator and promptly alerted the arrest team. Eventually, Flores-Ruiz was intercepted and arrested outside the courthouse.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated in a release that Judge Dugan “willfully misled federal law enforcement officers,” allowing the illegal immigrant Flores-Ruiz to briefly escape, posing a greater risk to public safety despite eventually being apprehended.
(Note: The original article title “Federal Grand Jury Indicts Wisconsin Judge Accused of Helping Illegal Immigrant Evade ICE” was published in English by The Epoch Times.)