Overview
- U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis granted the Justice Department’s request to toss the indictment against Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ruiz with prejudice, closing the case.
- The government filed its motion hours before a scheduled hearing where defense lawyers planned to submit additional unredacted texts from Agent Charles Exum.
- Court records show Exum boasted in messages about the shooting, and the judge had ordered broader disclosure of his communications to the defense.
- Defense attorneys alleged evidence mishandling after Exum drove the CBP Tahoe more than 1,000 miles to Maine, where scuff marks were later buffed out, raising chain-of-custody concerns.
- The dismissal comes from a broader reassessment of Operation Midway Blitz cases, with prosecutors also moving to drop charges against protester Dana Briggs.