On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, ABC News reported that a federal grand jury indicted Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on charges related to assisting an undocumented immigrant in evading arrest. The indictment follows her arrest on April 25, when she was initially charged with concealing a person from arrest and obstructing a U.S. department or agency proceeding. These charges remain unchanged in the indictment.

Dugan’s legal team issued a statement after the indictment, asserting her innocence and expressing confidence in her vindication in court. She appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin after her arrest and was released on her own recognizance. If convicted, she faces up to six years in prison.

The case originates from an incident on April 18 involving Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant scheduled for a pretrial conference before Dugan on three misdemeanor counts of battery and domestic abuse. Court records indicate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were present to arrest Flores-Ruiz. According to a federal complaint, Dugan, upon learning of the ICE presence, appeared visibly upset and confronted an officer. The complaint alleges she then directed members of the arrest team to the office of the court’s chief judge.

Witnesses reported that Dugan returned to her courtroom after this interaction. Meanwhile, a DEA agent observed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney in a public courthouse hallway, where Flores-Ruiz seemed to be attempting to avoid arrest. When approached by FBI and DEA agents outside the courthouse, he fled on foot but was eventually apprehended.

Following her arrest, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan, citing the public interest in temporarily relieving her of judicial duties.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that Dugan was arrested by two FBI agents for allegedly aiding an undocumented immigrant in avoiding ICE custody. FBI Director Kash Patel also claimed on social media that Dugan deliberately misled federal agents to hinder the arrest in her courthouse.

 

 

Source: ABC News