‘Broadview Six’ charges dropped as Chicago’s top federal prosecutor admits case was tainted by misconduct

Chicago’s top federal prosecutor introduced Thursday he was dropping charges in opposition to the remaining members of the “Broadview Six” in a surprising listening to that exposed obvious misconduct earlier than a grand jury by his assistants — however who he insisted he knew nothing about till not too long ago.

US Attorney Andrew Boutros informed US District Judge April Perry he was “completely unaware” of the misconduct till late final month, when prosecutors dropped the felony conspiracy indictment in opposition to the 4 remaining defendants within the case. Boutros additionally informed Perry that “no one acted with the intent to mislead your honor.”

Then, regardless of leaving the case with prejudice — which means it will possibly’t be refiled — Boutros went on to defend what’s now probably the most controversial prosecution of his 14-month tenure.

Boutros stated occasions on Sept. 26, 2025, outdoors an immigration holding facility in Broadview — by which the defendants and others allegedly surrounded a federal agent’s car and slowed its method to the constructing — is “unacceptable in a civilized society. It is for the grace of God that that agent moved at 2 miles per hour.”

Perry wound up telling Boutros, “You are significantly undercutting your mea culpa here by standing behind the charges and continuing to vilify these particular defendants.”

Specific particulars of the misconduct have been nonetheless coming to gentle Thursday afternoon, however Boutros and protection attorneys revealed a number of issues throughout the grand jury.

Boutros talked about “vouching” — suggesting {that a} prosecutor assured grand jurors the case would not have been introduced if it wasn’t simply. Additionally, a prosecutor allegedly had a dialog with a grand jury outdoors the jury room. And some grand jurors who disagreed with the case have been allegedly prevented from taking part additional.

Finally, protection attorneys revealed that the case had as soon as been rejected by grand jurors, a end result identified as a “no bill.”

Perry stated the problem of “sanctions” may very well be handled later. For the time being, the decide stated she needed to finish the order for the defendants and make public a transcript of a sealed listening to Thursday morning, by which the alleged misconduct was revealed.

Although Boutros was initially appointed to his job by then-Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Chicago’s federal judges picked him final summer time to proceed within the function on a extra everlasting foundation. US District Chief Judge Virginia Kendall declined to remark by means of a courtroom spokesperson.

The Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ, the Chicago Tribune and the Better Government Association intervened in the case Thursday morning, arguing the sealed morning listening to ought to happen on the general public document. Perry heard from media lawyer Steven Mandell however stated, “the interest in guaranteeing a fair jury to these defendants is more compelling than allowing access to this particular proceeding.”

Perry then cleared the courtroom, and courtroom safety roped off the world of ​​the close by hallway in the course of the closed-door session.

The case is among the most extremely publicized prosecutions to end result from the Operation Midway Blitz deportation marketing campaign. That’s as a result of it began as a conspiracy case in opposition to six individuals who protested outdoors the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in suburban Broadview.

But the feds dropped charges against two of the unique six defendants, after which they abandoned the conspiracy charge altogether. Four individuals wound up dealing with one misdemeanor depend every of forcibly impeding a federal agent.

Charged have been former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, Oak Park village trustee Brian Straw, forty fifth Ward Democratic committeeperson Michael Rabbitt and Andre Martin, who served as a member of Abughazaleh’s marketing campaign workers. Also charged within the unique indictment have been Catherine “Cat” Sharp and Joselyn Walsh.

The newest charging doc within the case, filed April 29, didn’t supply particular allegations in opposition to the defendants. But they have been usually accused of becoming a member of a bigger group of protesters who surrounded an ICE agent’s car and pushed, scratched and in any other case broken it as it approached the power in Broadview.

With trial approaching Tuesday, controversy over a set of transcripts from grand jury proceedings put the case on the rocks. Defense attorneys sought entry to transcripts exhibiting how the conspiracy legislation had been defined to grand jurors.

Perry agreed to have a look at them on her personal.

Grand jury proceedings are usually handled with secrecy, with panels listening to solely from prosecutors and their witnesses earlier than deciding whether or not at hand up an indictment.

Prosecutors wound up redacting parts of the transcripts they gave Perry. She requested them to carry unredacted copies to an April 29 listening to. But moments into it, prosecutors introduced they’d be dismissing the conspiracy cost and abandoning the grand jury’s indictment — continuing with misdemeanor charges in a separate charging doc.

Defense attorneys continued to push for his or her disclosure anyway. Straw lawyer Christopher Parente urged Perry throughout a listening to Monday merely to have a look at an unredacted model, arguing that prosecutors could also be hiding one thing that “could have tainted all of this.”

Prosecutors stated that they had no objection, so Perry agreed to have a look. She appeared skeptical on the time, although, telling them “if I had to guess, it seemed like those were probably related to IT issues.”

Two days later, the decide demanded the looks in his courtroom of “any” prosecutor “who participated in the decision to draft portions” of the transcript, “whether on the trial team or at the supervisory level.”

Perry stated she’d maintain the listening to underneath seal to keep away from tainting the jury pool, and since grand jury issues could be mentioned.