DOJ Prosecutor Resigns Amid Turmoil, Blames U.S. Attorney for Mishandling Law and Order
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Sheri Mecklenburg resigned from the Justice Department, claiming U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros personally directed the prosecution of the Broadview Six—individuals arrested for disrupting order outside a Chicago ICE facility. The case’s collapse raises concerns about DOJ leadership and accountability.
Sheri Mecklenburg, who served as the lead prosecutor in the grand-jury case against six agitators arrested outside a Chicago ICE facility, submitted her resignation from the Department of Justice this week. In a letter obtained by The New York Times, Mecklenburg alleged that U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros personally directed the prosecution, which she claims ended her career and undermined the pursuit of justice.
The Broadview Six case initially brought serious felony conspiracy charges and misdemeanor obstruction charges against individuals accused of disrupting lawful government operations. The felony counts were later dismissed, and before a federal misdemeanor trial could proceed, allegations of 'gross misconduct' in the grand-jury process emerged. After a closed-door hearing before U.S. District Judge April Perry, the remaining misdemeanor charges were dismissed with prejudice. Boutros appeared in court to announce the dismissal, stating he had only recently learned of alleged misconduct, including improper communications with grand jurors and the lead prosecutor vouching for the case’s strength.
'I learned only in late April of some of the alleged misconduct, including the lead prosecutor vouching for the strength of the case and improper communications with grand jurors outside the proceedings,' Boutros said.
Mecklenburg’s resignation letter accuses Boutros’s office of keeping her uninformed about the misconduct investigations and using her as a scapegoat for the DOJ’s failures. She asserts she was not notified of redactions to grand-jury transcripts or related hearings and claims Boutros threatened her employment if she attempted to defend herself.
'You recklessly agreed in court that I had committed misconduct without even asking for my account, fully reviewing the record or briefing the law,' Mecklenburg wrote.
Boutros has now announced 'sweeping' grand-jury reforms and a review of more than 1,000 cases handled by Mecklenburg and other prosecutors, raising questions about the DOJ’s ability to maintain law and order. He also said reforms would establish clearer guidelines for when prosecutors must turn over grand-jury material, a move that may further complicate the prosecution of those who break the law.
Mecklenburg, who had transferred to a Justice Department role in Washington, D.C., as counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee in February, was subsequently terminated from that position, according to Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. CBS News Chicago was unable to obtain comment from Mecklenburg’s attorney, who said the matter is pending litigation. The case highlights the ongoing challenges facing the DOJ in upholding the rule of law amid internal discord.