A federal grand jury indicted a Wisconsin judge Tuesday for allegedly helping an illegal immigrant evade U.S. authorities.
Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, 66, was previously charged with obstructing a U.S. agency and concealing an individual to prevent an arrest. The charges carry a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $350,000 fine, but sentences in cases involving nonviolent offenses typically are much shorter.
It wasn't immediately known what charges were contained in the indictment. Dugan, who was temporarily suspended from the bench by the Wisconsin Supreme Court while the case against her advances, indicated through her legal team that she intends to fight the charges. She is expected to appear in court Thursday for a plea hearing.
"Judge Hannah C. Dugan has committed herself to the rule of law and the principles of due process for her entire career as a lawyer and a judge," her attorneys reportedly said in a statement shortly after she was arrested April 25. They added Tuesday that "Judge Dugan asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court," according to The New York Times.
Dugan is accused of helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was set to appear in her court on assault-related charges, evade immigration authorities on April 18 by escorting him into a nonpublic hallway, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, citing the criminal complaint and local police documents. Flores-Ruiz was arrested outside after a foot chase.
When Dugan became aware of the federal agents, the charging document said, she became "visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor," the Times reported. Dugan confronted the agents and told them to talk to the chief judge of the courthouse. She then returned to her courtroom and directed Flores-Ruiz through a different exit than the public door that led to the hallway where agents were waiting.
"Despite having been advised of the administrative warrant for the arrest of Flores-Ruiz, Judge Dugan then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his counsel out of the courtroom through the 'jury door,' which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse," according to the complaint, which was written by an FBI agent, the Times reported.
The indictment came after a string of witnesses entered the federal courthouse throughout the day to testify in front of the grand jury, the Journal Sentinel reported. Among those were Alan Freed Jr., Dugan's court clerk, and Mercedes de la Rosa, who was Flores-Ruiz's attorney before withdrawing from the case.
Also giving testimony was Milwaukee County Judge Kristela Cervera, a misdemeanor judge whose courtroom is next to Dugan's. She arrived and left with defense attorney Michael F. Hart.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Newsmax last week that if Dugan is convicted, "I hope they throw the book at her."
"Nobody should be above the law," Johnson said. "I think we've seen too many cases where people are above the law. These are some pretty specific allegations. And it sure looks like this judge acted and obstructed justice. And being an officer of the court, she should be held at least to the same standard, if not a higher standard."