Prosecutor Resigns, Citing 'Scapegoating' in Failed 'Broadview Six' Case
A federal prosecutor resigned from her post, stating she was forced to choose between her reputation and her career after a controversial case against six immigration protesters collapsed.
Sheri Mecklenburg, a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, has resigned, accusing U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros of making her a scapegoat in the failed prosecution of six individuals known as the "Broadview Six." Mecklenburg announced her retirement "under protest" in a letter Thursday to Boutros.
"You have forced me to choose between remaining silent while my professional reputation is destroyed and prematurely surrendering my cherished career," Mecklenburg wrote in the letter obtained by The Associated Press. "I choose the latter.”
Mecklenburg stated that Boutros "personally directed" the felony prosecution over her objections that misdemeanor charges would have been more appropriate. "I was a convenient target to be scapegoated and publicly vilified,” she wrote.
The case involved six protesters arrested during demonstrations against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the Chicago area last fall. Boutros' office sought felony charges against them for allegedly conspiring to impede an officer at an immigration detention facility in Broadview, Illinois.
A grand jury twice declined to indict the group after Mecklenburg presented evidence. The charges ultimately collapsed, and Boutros dismissed the case in May. This was one of several cases where the Trump administration pursued charges against anti-immigration protesters that did not hold up in court.
The "Broadview Six" defendants have accused Mecklenburg of prosecutorial misconduct in her interactions with jury members and have asked U.S. District Judge April M. Perry to consider sanctions against her. Arguments on this matter are scheduled for October 1.
In a filing Thursday, Mecklenburg informed the court of her retirement and requested to participate in the case as an independent party. Her motion indicated that the U.S. Attorney's Office had previously prohibited her from filing anything on her own behalf, warning that she could face discipline or termination if she did so.
Terence Campbell, an attorney for one of the former defendants, Andre Martin, stated that Mecklenburg's resignation letter "raises a number of serious factual disputes" regarding the reasons for the prosecution, in contrast to the account provided by Boutros' office.