Public Safety · Chicago, IL
Ex-FBI Chicago Chief Sues DOJ Over Protester Prosecution Fallout
Douglas DePodesta, former head of the FBI's Chicago field office, filed a lawsuit Monday against Justice Department officials alleging he was forced out after being blamed for failed prosecutions tied to Operation Midway Blitz protests in Chicago. The suit accuses U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros of pressuring prosecutors to bring felony charges against demonstrators before gathering evidence, including six people charged over a protest at an ICE facility in Broadview. A grand jury twice refused to indict the so-called "Broadview Six," and all charges were dropped in May amid a judicial investigation into possible prosecutorial misconduct. U.S. District Judge April Perry ordered further fact-finding at an Oct. 1 hearing regarding communications between Boutros' office and DOJ leadership.