United States: A judge in Wisconsin, Hannah Dugan, has been arrested by federal agents. They say she tried to help a Mexican man who was in the US illegally avoid getting arrested.
The FBI claims she told immigration agents to go elsewhere, then helped the man and his lawyer sneak out a side door in the courthouse. He was caught shortly after during a short foot chase.
The man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, had been deported in 2013 and was wanted again on domestic violence charges. The arrest warrant was issued by an immigration judge a day before the courthouse incident, according to BBC News.
Now, Judge Dugan is facing two charges:
– Obstruction of justice (which could mean up to 5 years in prison and a USD 250,000 fine)
– Concealing a person to avoid arrest (which could mean up to 1 year in prison and a USD 100,000 fine)
She was released without paying bail and will have a court hearing on May 15. Her lawyer says she regrets what happened and believes the arrest was not really about public safety, according to BBC News.
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Back in 2019, a judge in Massachusetts was also charged with a similar case, but her charges were later dropped.
