Milwaukee judge arrested by FBI for allegedly helping undocumented immigrant 'evade arrest'

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee County circuit judge was arrested by the FBI over allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest, federal authorities said.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced Judge Hannah Dugan's arrest earlier Friday in a social media post, which was briefly deleted and reposted.

"Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction - after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week," Patel said in the new post. "We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject - an illegal alien - to evade arrest."

Dugan was charged with two criminal counts of "obstructing and impeding a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States" and "concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest," according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday.

SEE MORE | ABC7 Chicago I-Team investigates new details after Milwaukee judge arrested by FBI

Milwaukee County executive David Crowley also confirmed the judge was arrested Friday morning on campus grounds of the county courthouse.

"Trump's FBI is more concerned about weaponizing federal law enforcement, punishing people without their due process and intimidating anyone who opposes these policies," Crowley said.

County court records show the undocumented immigrant -- Eduardo Flores-Ruiz -- was set to appear in court on April 18 before Dugan for a pretrial conference in a case where he has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of battery/domestic abuse connected to an incident on March 12.

The arrest drew protests and condemnation from Wisconsin officials who criticized the move as an overreach on the judicial system.

According to the complaint, Dugan allegedly sought to help Flores-Ruiz evade arrest by federal officers from an ICE task force.

When Judge Dugan learned ICE officers were present in court to arrest Flores-Ruiz, she became "visibly angry" and said the situation was "absurd" before leaving the bench and entering her chambers, according to the complaint, which cited witnesses who spoke to the FBI.

Judge Dugan and another unidentified judge then allegedly approached the arrest team in the public hallway, according to the complaint. She was "visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor" and asked one of the officers whether they were present for a court appearance, the complaint alleged.

When the officer replied they were there to make an arrest, the complaint alleges Judge Dugan asked if they had a judicial warrant, to which the officer responded, "No I have an administrative warrant."

Multiple witnesses cited in the complaint later allegedly said Judge Dugan returned to her courtroom after directing members of the arrest team to the office of the court's chief judge.

"The courtroom deputy then saw Judge DUGAN get up and heard Judge DUGAN say something like 'Wait, come with me,'" the complaint states. "Despite having been advised of the administrative warrant for the arrest of Flores-Ruiz, Judge DUGAN then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his counsel out of the courtroom through the 'jury door,' which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse."

A DEA agent saw Flores-Ruiz and his attorney in the public hallway of the courthouse and appeared to be making efforts to evade arrest, the complaint says. After he was encountered by FBI and DEA agents outside the building, Flores-Ruiz "turned around and sprinted down the street" before he was ultimately apprehended, according to the complaint.

Attorney General Pam Bondi spoke on the arrest Friday.

"No one is above the law... no one is above the law in this country," Bondi said. "And if you are destroying evidence, if you are obstructing justice when you have victims sitting in a courtroom of domestic violence and you're escorting a criminal defendant out a back door, it will not be tolerated."

She appeared in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Friday on the two charges, but did not enter a plea. She was released on her own recognizance. County officials told ABC7 Chicago it's not clear how soon she may be able to return to the bench.

Dugan's attorney Craig Mastantuono said in court, "Judge Dugan wholeheartedly protests the arrest and believes it was not made in the interests of public safety."

If convicted on the charges, Dugan could face up to six years in prison.

Judge Dugan's attorney issued a statement late Friday afternoon, saying "Judge Hannah C. Dugan has committed herself to the rule of law and the principles of due process for her entire career as a lawyer and a judge. She has retained former United States Attorney Steven Biskupic to represent her. Judge Dugan will defend herself vigorously, and looks forward to being exonerated."

SEE MORE | UIC professor discusses case of Milwaukee judge arrested by FBI

The judge's arrest angered Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson who accused the federal agents of "showboating" and contended Dugan was not a flight risk.

"They're just trying to have this show of force and in the process of a court house where people need to go for court proceedings, they're scaring away people from participating in the court process," the mayor told reporters.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, in a statement on Friday afternoon, responded to the arrest of Milwaukee County circuit judge Hannah Dugan in a statement criticizing President Donald Trump and the White House for what he said were efforts "to attack and attempt to undermine our judiciary at every level."

Evers said he would continue to have faith in the justice system "as this situation plays out in the court of law." He did not mention Dugan by name.

Meanwhile, people in Milwaukee gathered for a protest in front of the federal building once they heard of the judge's arrest.

"This is a person who stood up for what was right for those men not to be taken out of a courthouse, which should be a place people can go for services, and instead she has been hit with felony charges," said Casey Serrano with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Reparation. "This is incorrect. This is immoral."

Federal prosecutors allege Flores-Ruiz illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico and was issued an Expedited Removal order in January 2013, according to a criminal complaint. Further details about the domestic abuse charges were not immediately available.

ABC7 Chicago's Maher Kawash and the ABC7 I-Team's Mark Rivera, Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel and Tom Jones contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.