Federal Prosecutor Drops Charges Against Chicago Activists Amid Grand Jury Misconduct Allegations

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros has dismissed all charges against four activists involved in a 2025 protest outside a federal building in Chicago, following allegations of grand jury misconduct.

The activists, including former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, were initially charged with conspiring to impede a federal officer after allegedly surrounding an immigration agent's van during a protest at a federal facility in Broadview, Illinois.

The decision to drop the charges came after a closed-door meeting over redacted grand jury transcripts revealed that a prosecutor had met with a grand juror outside proceedings, and that jurors who disagreed with the case being dismissed were prevented from participating.

Boutros stated he was unaware of the alleged misconduct until recently and did not dispute the allegations, describing the conduct as upsetting and the reason for the case's dismissal.

Defense attorney Josh Herman commented on the dismissal, stating that the revelations of grand jury misconduct leading to the dismissal were "sadly not surprising," and that the case should never have been brought against Abughazaleh or her co-defendants for exercising their protected First Amendment rights.

The charges were dismissed with prejudice, preventing them from being refiled.