Overview
- Jurors returned a mixed verdict Thursday, finding Dugan guilty of obstructing a federal proceeding and not guilty of concealing an individual from arrest after roughly six hours of deliberation.
- Prosecutors presented courtroom audio of Dugan saying she would "take the heat," plus testimony that she diverted agents and escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer through a nonpublic jury door.
- Flores-Ruiz was arrested outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse after a brief foot chase and was later deported in November following a guilty plea to unlawful reentry.
- Dugan faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on the felony count, remains suspended from the bench, and has signaled an appeal.
- Justice Department officials praised the verdict as proof that nobody is above the law, while defense attorneys called the case politically driven and vowed to continue fighting the conviction.