Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is facing up to six years in prison if she is convicted of allegedly helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials last month.
According to Fox News, Dugan is potentially facing time in jail following a federal grand jury’s indictment against the Milwaukee judge that was announced on Tuesday. The outlet noted that the grand jury indicted Dugan on charges of concealing an individual from arrest and on charges of obstructing justice. Dugan could face up to six years in prison and up to $350,000 in fines if she is found guilty of both federal charges, according to Fox News.
On April 25, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel said, “The FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction — after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week. We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest.”
READ MORE: FBI arrests judge for helping illegal immigrant ‘evade arrest’
Fox News reported that Dugan’s legal team filed a motion on Wednesday to dismiss the federal case against the Milwaukee judge. Dugan’s lawyers argued that the government “cannot prosecute Judge Dugan because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts,” and claimed that “the government has no basis in law to prosecute her.”
According to a statement from Dugan’s legal team obtained by Fox News, the judge is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday and is expected to plead not guilty to the federal charges.
“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,” Dugan’s lawyers stated. Dugan’s legal defense also said that the judge “asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court.”
In contrast with Dugan’s defense team, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday that she was “grateful” that the U.S. judicial system recognized that Dugan “let down the court, let down the country, let down the authority that her position held.”
“She will be held accountable for that,” Noem added. “I think that was a great decision, coming forward, to recognize that nobody can facilitate breaking the law. We shouldn’t be able to allow that in this country, and we need to make sure that even judges are held accountable for their actions.”
