Overview

• Jessica M. Leslie, 34, was charged with criminal contempt for leaking sealed grand jury information related to the federal probe of state prosecutors in the Karen Read case.
• She agreed to plead guilty under a deal recommending a one-day sentence, deemed time served, and two years of supervised release.
• Prosecutors say Leslie disclosed the names of witnesses, the substance of their testimony and other evidence presented to the grand jury in violation of a court order.
• The federal grand jury was convened in early 2022 to examine Massachusetts authorities’ handling of Read’s prosecution and closed in March 2025.
• Leslie’s plea represents the first federal charge arising from the investigation and underscores tensions between state and federal oversight in homicide cases.