Federal Grand Jury Indicts Wisconsin Judge Accused of Helping Illegal Immigrant Evade ICE

She was arrested in April by the FBI.

This 2016 photo shows Judge Hannah Dugan in Milwaukee, Wis. Lee Matz/Milwaukee Independent via AP

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 13, after being arrested and accused of helping an illegal immigrant evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last month.

Her indictment comes after she was arrested by the FBI on April 25 and subsequently suspended from her duties as a judge by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

A reserve judge has been working in her stead.

The grand jury reviewed the charges brought forth in a complaint, as a check on the prosecutor’s power, and determined that enough probable cause existed to continue the case.

Dugan faces one count of “obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a department or agency,” and another of “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest.”

She could face up to six years in prison if convicted of both counts.

Her next court appearance was previously scheduled for May 15, and she could face more disciplinary actions against her license to practice law.

According to her defense attorneys, she maintains her innocence and expects to be vindicated in court.

She was assigned to preside over a hearing for Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national who was charged with domestic violence, on April 18. Flores-Ruiz had previously been deported in 2013, and there was no evidence that he reentered the country legally.

The FBI agents and deportation officers planned to arrest Flores-Ruiz after the hearing.

However, according to the affidavit, witnesses said Dugan appeared “visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor,” upon learning of the arrest party’s arrival.

They alleged that Dugan “escorted” Flores Ruiz and his lawyer “out of the courtroom through the ‘jury door,’ which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse,” after she “ordered” the team of FBI and deportation officials to go to the chief judge’s office. The jury door is normally used by defendants only if they are in the custody of deputies.

Another officer, according to the affidavit, noticed Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer on an elevator and alerted the arrest team.

Flores-Ruiz was apprehended after a foot chase outside the courthouse.

FBI director Kash Patel said investigators believe Dugan “intentionally misdirected federal agents” away from Flores-Ruiz, as officers were preparing to arrest him in the courthouse where the judge works.

Dugan’s case is one of several to arise due to the Trump administration’s focus on cracking down on illegal immigration and its commitment to ensuring that all illegal immigrants are deported.

Her case also shows similarities to one that arose during the first Trump administration, in which a Massachusetts judge was accused of helping an illegal immigrant evade an immigration enforcement agency by sneaking him out the back door of the court house. That case was ultimately dismissed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.