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Judge indicted in Massachusetts for refusing to allow undocumented immigrant to be detained originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph, 51, of Natick, was charged in the case along with a court officer, Wesley MacGregor, 56, of Watertown.
In court on Thursday, the judge and court officer were released after appearing. The undocumented immigrant is in deportation hearings but not in custody and
“The allegations in today’s indictment involve obstruction by a sitting judge, that is intentional interference with the enforcement of federal law, and that is a crime," said U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling. "We cannot pick and choose the federal laws we follow, or use our personal views to justify violating the law."
On April 2, 2018, a plainclothes ICE officer came to the district court in Newtown to take custody of the suspect and was told to wait in the lobby.
But during the course of the proceedings, Joseph allegedly arranged for the suspect, his lawyer and an interpreter, to leave through a different exit, escorted by MacGregor.
The defendant, who’s not identified by name in court documents, had been previously deported twice from the U.S., officials said.
According to the court documents, Judge Joseph arraigned the immigrant facing deportation on those charges, but later in the day she recalled his case. At that point, according to court documents Judge Joseph asked the ICE officer to wait outside the courtroom while proceedings took place.
The indictment includes court transcripts from the hearing which took place on April 2, 2018.
“ICE is gonna get him?” she asks the defendant’s attorney before turning off the court recorder, which the indictment said is a violation of Massachusetts court rules.
According to the government, 52 seconds later court recordings were turned back on.
The court clerk then asked the judge if she wanted to let the ICE officer back in, because he was set to visit the lockup portion of the jail, she declined and lets the unidentified subject go.
"That's fine. I'm not gonna allow them to come in here. But he's been released on this,” she says.
The court officer, who is also charged, asks if he is released. The judge said yes.
“He is. Um, [Defense Attorney] asked if the interpreter can accompany him downstairs, um, to further interview him...- and I've allowed that to happen,” she continued.
After that, the government says without the knowledge of the ICE officer, MacGregor released the alleged suspect out the back door, the government alleged, and said that "defendant Joseph and the Defense Attorney discussed devising a way to have A.S. avoid being arrested by the ICE Officer."
“Immediately following the proceeding, defendant MacGregor escorted A.S. from the Courtroom downstairs to the lockup, accompanied by the Defense Attorney and an interpreter," the indictment reads. "Once inside the lockup, defendant MacGregor used his security access card to open the rear sally-port exit and released A.S. out the backdoor at approximately 3:01 p.m,," the indictment stated.
Shelley previously served as a criminal defense attorney and was appointed to the Massachusetts district court by Governor Charlie Baker in 2017.
“Look, judges are not supposed to be in the business of obstructing justice," Baker said.
Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph, 51, of Natick, was charged in the case along with a court officer, Wesley MacGregor, 56, of Watertown.
In court on Thursday, the judge and court officer were released after appearing. The undocumented immigrant is in deportation hearings but not in custody and
“The allegations in today’s indictment involve obstruction by a sitting judge, that is intentional interference with the enforcement of federal law, and that is a crime," said U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling. "We cannot pick and choose the federal laws we follow, or use our personal views to justify violating the law."
On April 2, 2018, a plainclothes ICE officer came to the district court in Newtown to take custody of the suspect and was told to wait in the lobby.
But during the course of the proceedings, Joseph allegedly arranged for the suspect, his lawyer and an interpreter, to leave through a different exit, escorted by MacGregor.
The defendant, who’s not identified by name in court documents, had been previously deported twice from the U.S., officials said.
According to the court documents, Judge Joseph arraigned the immigrant facing deportation on those charges, but later in the day she recalled his case. At that point, according to court documents Judge Joseph asked the ICE officer to wait outside the courtroom while proceedings took place.
The indictment includes court transcripts from the hearing which took place on April 2, 2018.
“ICE is gonna get him?” she asks the defendant’s attorney before turning off the court recorder, which the indictment said is a violation of Massachusetts court rules.
According to the government, 52 seconds later court recordings were turned back on.
The court clerk then asked the judge if she wanted to let the ICE officer back in, because he was set to visit the lockup portion of the jail, she declined and lets the unidentified subject go.
"That's fine. I'm not gonna allow them to come in here. But he's been released on this,” she says.
The court officer, who is also charged, asks if he is released. The judge said yes.
“He is. Um, [Defense Attorney] asked if the interpreter can accompany him downstairs, um, to further interview him...- and I've allowed that to happen,” she continued.
After that, the government says without the knowledge of the ICE officer, MacGregor released the alleged suspect out the back door, the government alleged, and said that "defendant Joseph and the Defense Attorney discussed devising a way to have A.S. avoid being arrested by the ICE Officer."
“Immediately following the proceeding, defendant MacGregor escorted A.S. from the Courtroom downstairs to the lockup, accompanied by the Defense Attorney and an interpreter," the indictment reads. "Once inside the lockup, defendant MacGregor used his security access card to open the rear sally-port exit and released A.S. out the backdoor at approximately 3:01 p.m,," the indictment stated.
Shelley previously served as a criminal defense attorney and was appointed to the Massachusetts district court by Governor Charlie Baker in 2017.
“Look, judges are not supposed to be in the business of obstructing justice," Baker said.
