Former DOJ prosecutor Sheri Mecklenburg resigns, alleges U.S. Attorney directed controversial case

Sheri Mecklenburg, who had served as the lead prosecutor in the grand-jury case against six protesters 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 claimed that U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros personally directed the prosecution, which she said ended her career.

The case, known as the Broadview Six, initially brought felony conspiracy charges and misdemeanor obstruction charges. The felony counts were later dismissed, and before a federal misdemeanor trial could begin, 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 and said he had learned in late April of alleged misconduct, including improper communications with grand jurors.

"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 Boutron’s office of keeping her uninformed about the misconduct investigations and of using her as a scapegoat. She says she was not notified of redactions to grand-jury transcripts or related hearings and alleges that Boutros threatened her employment if she attempted to rebut the allegations.

"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 announced that his office would undertake "sweeping" grand-jury reforms and review more than 1,000 cases handled by Mecklenburg and other prosecutors. He also said the reforms would establish clear guidelines for when prosecutors must turn over grand-jury material.

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.