Judge April Perry Examines Alleged Misconduct in Broadview Six Case

CHICAGO (WLS) — A federal judge has opened a fact-finding inquiry into alleged prosecutorial misconduct in the failed case against the so-called Broadview Six, a step that could ultimately result in criminal contempt proceedings.

The defendants and their attorneys appeared Thursday at the Dirksen Federal Building as the spotlight shifted from the collapsed prosecution to the conduct of the government lawyers who filed the charges.

“They dragged these six people behind me who did nothing wrong through the mud for over a year, and now the tables have turned,” said Chris Parente, an attorney representing one of the defendants.

The inquiry is centered on U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros and the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. District Judge April Perry launched the review after finding what she called apparent prosecutorial wrongdoing while examining unredacted transcripts from the grand jury proceedings.

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Parente said he believes Perry will conduct a thorough examination of what happened.

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