A Massachusetts judge is accused of obstructing justice by standing up for an undesirable illegal immigrant.
Federal authorities claim that Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph and a court employee assisted a drug-possession suspect who was an illegal immigrant in avoiding ICE detention.
The judge, who is responsible for upholding justice, is now facing the other side of the courtroom.
Well, talk about irony.
The incident happened on April 2, 2018, and it appeared that Medina-attempt Perez to get free from ICE’s handcuffs was very deliberate. Knowing that ICE agents were waiting outside the courthouse to arrest Jose Medina-Perez, the two assisted him in leaving the building through a back door.
United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said, “This case is about the rule of law. The allegations in today’s indictment involve obstruction by a sitting judge, that is intentional interference with the enforcement of federal law, and that is a crime.”
After he stood before the federal grand jury, MacGregor got slammed with a perjury charge while charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of federal proceedings, aiding and abetting, and obstruction of justice were brought against Joseph and MacGregor.
Joseph has been suspended without pay since the indictment. MacGregor, like the judge, appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty on all counts. A date for their next court appearance has not been set.
Peter Fitzberg (pictured), a special agent with the Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, who was in charge of leading this investigation said, “As public servants, all of the officers in the court make a promise. A promise to serve the people’s interests above all else. Today we know this promise has been broken.”
When Joseph and MacGregor assisted him in evading ICE detention last April, Medina-Perez was wanted in Pennsylvania for drunk driving, he was not exactly an innocent man. He was also a fugitive who had twice been deported back to Mexico.
For Medina-Perez, ICE had filed a detainer request. They prepared the request and asked the judge to deliver him for a 48-hour hold prior to his deportation. Medina-Perez was being pursued by an ICE agent who was waiting in the courtroom lobby when the judge assisted him in sneaking out the back door.
There was proof that the judge was aware of Medina-ICE Perez’s warrant during his court appearance. The defendant’s attorney then informed the judge that ICE would arrest the defendant if he left through the front door, “But I think the best thing for us to do is clear the fugitive issue and release him on a personal, and hope that he can avoid ICE. That’s the best I can do.”
Before ordering the courtroom recording device turned off, the judge asked, “What if we detain him?”
The illegal immigrant managed to slip out the back door and get away from ICE a short while later.
Watch the video report below:
Sources: AWM, Whdh, Newbostonpost