Nearly a month after the ‘Broadview Six’ case collapsed amid alleged grand-jury misconduct, attorneys for five cleared defendants urged U.S. District Judge April Perry to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate Justice Department officials for cr
When the government’s case against the Broadview Six protesters fell apart, it left more than empty courtroom seats behind. It left unanswered questions about what happened inside a grand jury—and who in the Justice Department may have helped push a “tainted” prosecution forward.
Late Tuesday, lawyers for five of the former defendants who had been cleared asked U.S. District Judge April Perry to take the extraordinary step of appointing an independent special counsel. Their request seeks an investigation—and possibly prosecutions—into Justice Department officials in Chicago and Washington. D.C. for alleged criminal contempt.
The timing is sharp. The request comes nearly a month after the case collapsed, after revelations of apparent misconduct by prosecutors from the office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros. The defense attorneys’ filing argues the pattern goes beyond a single person.
They said Boutros’ office appears to be “laying blame at the feet of a single prosecutor. ” while they contend the misconduct “runs much deeper. ” potentially reaching the upper echelon of President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. Because of that, they argued the special counsel should be appointed “from outside the Department of Justice.”.
The defense attorneys framed the request as more than a correction to their clients’ case. They wrote that the court “has the authority. and we think the obligation. ” to ensure that those responsible for “this unique and sorry chapter”—a chapter that they said has “dramatically impacted the lives of multiple defendants” and “enduringly sullied the reputation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office earned over decades”—are held to account.
Perry is no detached observer. She once served as a federal prosecutor in Chicago and even handled a significant criminal contempt case herself. In this matter. she said the alleged improprieties she discovered left her “incredibly shocked.” She has also acknowledged the possibility of “parallel proceedings with some other investigative body.”.
The alleged misconduct came to light after defense attorneys urged Perry to review unredacted transcripts of the grand jury proceedings in the Broadview Six case.
The filing describes misconduct that, if proven, would cut at the integrity of the process. It alleges a prosecutor improperly put her personal credibility “on the line” to support criminal charges. It also alleges conversations with grand jurors outside the grand jury room. and the excusing of grand jurors who disagreed with the feds’ case.
One grand juror, the transcripts show, called the case a “crock of sh–.”
Perry also said the alleged misconduct had been redacted out of transcripts initially provided to her by Boutros’ office.
A spokesperson for Boutros did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the request for a special counsel.
The underlying case stemmed from a September protest outside a suburban immigration facility. where a crowd pushed and allegedly damaged a federal agent’s SUV. Prosecutors charged only six people. many of whom were largely involved in local Democratic politics—an outcome that defense attorneys have argued raises questions about selective prosecution and freedom of expression.
Among those charged were former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh; Oak Park village trustee Brian Straw; former Cook County Board candidate Catherine “Cat” Sharp; 45th Ward Democratic Committeeperson Michael Rabbitt; musician Joselyn Walsh; and onetime Abughazaleh campaign worker Andre Martin.
Boutros permanently dropped the case on May 21, telling Perry he didn’t know about much of the alleged misconduct until late April.
Since then, defense attorneys have sought records they believe could connect the Broadview Six matter to senior officials. They said their requests could tie Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche or Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh to the case.
The dispute has also turned practical. The morning after the defense filed a motion seeking such records, federal prosecutors said in an email they wouldn’t dispute whether the former Broadview Six defendants are entitled to having their attorneys’ fees paid.
Defense attorneys argued Tuesday that the government’s willingness to pay fees may have been a strategic move to avoid producing the requested records and a full accounting of its conduct. “A cynical observer might suggest the government’s agreement to pay defendants’ legal fees was made largely to avoid having to produce the requested [records] (which appears to have struck a nerve) and a full accounting of its conduct. ” they wrote.
They also asked Perry to hold an evidentiary hearing about the alleged prosecutorial misconduct, saying such a hearing could “inform any potential sanctions.”
In their view, courts have “longstanding” authority to initiate criminal contempt investigations, and that power is necessary, they wrote, to secure “the authority, dignity, independence, and self-preservation of the courts and the judicial branch.”
Straw’s attorney, Christopher Parente, said the late Tuesday filings were intended to protect constitutional rights. He said the court filing was about “protecting our collective Constitutional rights. ” ensuring the legal team understands “the full scope and nature of the corruption within the Department of Justice at this time. ” and sending a signal to U.S. attorney’s offices across the country that “there will be consequences when they engage in corrupt actions.”.
Perry’s timeline is now the focus. Briefing on the request is expected to last into late July, meaning it could be several weeks before she hands down her ruling.
Perry served as a federal prosecutor in Chicago from 2004 until 2016. and in 2013 she helped secure the criminal contempt conviction of fraudster Kevin Trudeau. President Joe Biden once nominated Perry to serve as Chicago’s U.S. attorney, but her confirmation for the job was blocked by then-Sen. JD Vance, who is now vice president.
For the cleared defendants and their attorneys, the question now is whether a judge who already says she was shocked by what she found will go further—by pushing the case into the hands of an outside investigator, and potentially into criminal contempt prosecutions of her own.
Broadview Six April Perry criminal contempt Andrew Boutros Todd Blanche Aakash Singh special counsel grand jury misconduct Operation Midway Blitz Chicago U.S. attorney