A federal grand jury has indicted Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on Tuesday, following her arrest last month for allegedly providing protection to an illegal immigrant from federal agents.
Dugan, who serves as a judge in Milwaukee County, was taken into custody on April 25 and charged with obstructing an official proceeding after evidence emerged indicating that she had shielded an illegal immigrant from federal authorities, as stated in a criminal complaint. Additionally, she faced charges for concealing an individual to hinder their discovery and arrest.
The indictment came after testimony was presented to the federal grand jury concerning allegations that Dugan attempted to assist an illegal immigrant in evading arrest within her courtroom, as reported by Fox News.
On Tuesday, a federal grand jury convened to examine the indictment, hearing testimonies that included statements from the attorney of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who has since withdrawn from the case, along with input from Dugan’s court clerk.
Also providing testimony was Milwaukee County Judge Kristela Cervera, a misdemeanor judge whose courtroom is located next to Dugan’s. The grand jury was anticipated to reach a decision on whether to indict Dugan prior to her previously scheduled preliminary court hearing.
Dugan’s legal representatives informed Fox News, “As she stated following her unwarranted arrest, Judge Dugan maintains her innocence and looks forward to being exonerated in court.”
Dugan is set to appear in federal court on Thursday to respond to charges of felony obstruction of a federal agency and misdemeanor concealing a person to assist them in evading arrest. During this hearing, she is expected to enter a plea concerning the charges.
The FBI apprehended Dugan for allegedly hiding a previously deported illegal immigrant in her jury room to prevent him from being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Federal agents from ICE, FBI, CBP, and DEA attempted to arrest Flores-Ruiz following his scheduled court appearance before Dugan on April 18, where he was due to face three misdemeanor battery charges for allegedly assaulting two individuals.
Her legal representative, Craig Mastantuono, informed the court last month, “Judge Dugan deeply regrets and contests her arrest. It was not executed in the interest of public safety.”
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, expressed her appreciation for Dugan’s indictment by a federal grand jury during her discussion with Jesse Watters on Tuesday.
“She will be held accountable for that,” Noem stated. “That was a commendable decision to come forward, acknowledging that no one should facilitate the violation of the law. We must not permit that in this nation, and it is essential to ensure that even judges are responsible for their conduct.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi had also previously criticized Dugan for her purported effort to protect Flores-Ruiz from arrest.
“We were astonished that a judge would actually do that,” Bondi remarked. “You cannot obstruct a criminal case. And truly, shame on her. This was a domestic violence case, and she is prioritizing a criminal defendant over the victims of crime.”
The Attorney General noted that Flores-Ruiz was accused of assaulting two individuals, “a male and a female.”
“[He] assaulted the male, striking him 30 times, knocked him to the ground, choked him, and severely injured a woman; both required hospitalization,” she explained.
Additionally, last month, former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his spouse, Nancy Cano, were apprehended following a federal raid on their residence in Las Cruces, N.M.
The couple faces charges of evidence tampering related to allegations that they sheltered Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an alleged undocumented immigrant thought to be connected to Venezuela’s infamous Tren de Aragua gang.
