A Milwaukee County Circuit Judge was arrested by the FBI for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant to evade the arrest, federal authorities said.
Judge Hannah Dugan was accused of two criminal charges of “obstructing and preventing a procedure before an United States department or agency” and “hiding a person to avoid their discovery and arrest,” according to a criminal complaint without sealing on Friday.
The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, announced the earliest arrest on Friday in a publication on social networks, which was briefly eliminated and replaced.
“Just now, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin for charges of obstruction, after the evidence that Judge Dugan obstructs an arrest operation for immigration last week,” Patel said in the new position. “We believe that Judge Dugan intentionally directed federal agents outside the subject to be arrested in his court, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject, an illegal foreigner, evading the arrest.”
According to the complaint, Dugan sought to help Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant who appeared before her in criminal procedures, evades the arrest by federal officers of a workforce of ICE.
When Judge Dugan learned that ICE officers were present in the Court to arrest Flores-Ruiz, she became “visibly angry” and said that the situation was “absurd” before leaving the bank and entering their cameras, according to the complaint, which cited the witnesses who spoke with the FBI.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge, Hannah Dugan, shown during a candidate forum in 2016.
Mike de Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Imagn
Judge Dugan and another unidentified judge approached the arrest team in the public hall, according to the complaint. He was “visibly upset and had a confrontation and angry behavior” and asked one of the officers if they were present for an appearance in the Court, according to the complaint.
When the officer replied that they were there to make an arrest, the complaint alleges that Judge Dugan asked if he had a court order, to which the officer replied: “No, I have an administrative order.”
Multiple witnesses cited in the complaint later allegedly said that Judge Dugan returned to his courtroom after directing the members of the arrest team to the office of the main judge of the court.
“The court of the court then saw the judge dug lifted and listen to the judge, they say something like ‘wait, come with me,” says the complaint. “Despite having been advised from the administrative order for the arrest of Flores-Ruiz, the judge then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer outside the Chamber of the Chamber through the ‘Gate of the Jury’, which leads to a non-public area of the Court.”
Judge Dugan then returned to the courtroom, said witnesses cited in the complaint, and told the Flores-Ruiz lawyer and an unidentified man who went through the back door of the courtroom.
A DEA agent saw Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer in the public hall of the court and seemed to be making efforts to evade the arrest, according to the complaint. After the FBI and DEA agents found themselves out of the building, Flores-Ruiz “turned around and ran down the street” before it finally was arrested.
Dugan was arrested Friday morning at the Palace of Justice, confirmed an official of the law to ABC News. The Department of Justice refused to comment more about Patel’s post in X.
Dugan appeared in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Friday for both positions. It was released by its own recognition.
His lawyer Craig Mastantuono said in the Court: “Judge Dugan the arrest with all my heart and believes that it was not done in the interest of public security.”
The registrations of the County Court show that Flores-Ruiz would appear in the Court on April 18 before Dugan for a conference prior to the trial in a case in which he was accused of three minor crimes of battery/domestic abuse connected to an incident on March 12.
Federal prosecutors claim that Flores-Ruiz entered the United States illegally from Mexico and an order of removal issued in January 2013 was issued, according to a criminal complaint. More details about domestic abuse charges were not available immediately.
If it is declared guilty for the charges, Dugan could face up to six years in prison.
This is a development story. Consult the updates again.
