A federal grand jury indicted Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on Tuesday, charging her with obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempting to detain an undocumented immigrant.
Dugan, 66, faces charges of felony obstruction of a federal agency and a misdemeanor for concealing a person to prevent their arrest. The two-page indictment alleges she confronted ICE agents on April 18, falsely claiming they needed a judicial warrant, and directed Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing misdemeanor battery charges, and his attorney to exit her courtroom through a restricted jury door to evade agents. Flores-Ruiz, previously deported in 2013, was apprehended after a foot chase outside the courthouse.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of six years in prison and $350,000 in fines. Dugan is scheduled to enter a plea Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, said in a statement Tuesday, “As she said after her unnecessary arrest, Judge Dugan asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court.”
The FBI arrested Dugan on April 25 at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, prompting protests and condemnation from Democratic leaders. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson called the arrest “showboating,” arguing it could deter residents from attending court.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the prosecution, stating on Fox News, “If you are harboring a fugitive, we don’t care who you are, if you are helping hide…anyone who is illegally in this country, we will come after you and we will prosecute you. We will find you.”
Bondi, appearing on Fox’s “America Reports,” criticized Dugan’s actions, saying, “We could not believe that a judge really did that. You cannot obstruct a criminal case. And really, shame on her. It was a domestic violence case of all cases, and she’s protecting a criminal defendant over victims of crime.”
She alleged Flores-Ruiz “beat the guy, hit the guy 30 times, knocked him to the ground, choked him, beat up a woman so badly, they both had to go to the hospital.”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court temporarily suspended Dugan last month, citing the need to maintain public trust in the judiciary. The grand jury heard testimony from Dugan’s court clerk, Alan Freed Jr., Flores-Ruiz’s former attorney, Mercedes de la Rosa, and Judge Kristela Cervera, whose courtroom adjoins Dugan’s.
Department of Homeland Security official Kristi Noem, speaking on Fox News, praised the indictment, saying, “She will be held accountable for that. That was a great decision, coming forward, to recognize that nobody can facilitate breaking the law.”
Dugan’s attorney told the court last month, “Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety.”
Dugan was released on bond after her initial appearance.