Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the FBI on Friday on charges of obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent their arrest. FBI director Kash Patel announced the arrest and said the judge intentionally misdirected federal agents away from an illegal alien who was to be arrested. Though Patel deleted his first post, he made the same post later. Dugan appeared briefly in Milwaukee federal court Friday morning before being released after prosecutors said they would not ask for her detention before trial. Her arraignment has been set for May 15.
What did the judge do?
The allegations stem from an incident on April 18 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived at her courtroom to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national and undocumented immigrant wanted for deportation.
After being informed of the agents’ presence, Dugan reportedly became visibly angry, called the situation “absurd,” and confronted the agents in a public hallway, demanding they leave and insisting they needed a different warrant to make the arrest. She directed them to speak with the chief judge.
Investigators claimed Dugan escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a non-public jury door into a private area of the courthouse, allegedly to help him evade ICE agents.
Patel stated that Dugan “intentionally misdirected” federal agents, allowing Flores-Ruiz to temporarily avoid arrest. Flores-Ruiz was later apprehended outside the courthouse.
“These events were also unusual for two reasons,” the complaint states. “First, the courtroom deputy had previously heard Judge Dugan direct people not to sit in the jury box because it was exclusively for the jury’s use. Second, according to the courtroom deputy, only deputies, juries, court staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used the back jury door. Defense attorneys and defendants who were not in custody never used the jury door.”
Flores-Ruiz and his attorney made it out of the courthouse before the suspect was arrested by an FBI and DEA agent following a brief foot chase.
Flores Ruiz had been arrested after police were called to a Milwaukee home for a reported fight March 12. In addition to repeatedly punching a person, the police report says he struck a woman who tried to break up the altercation.
