A Federal Judge Orders Chicago's U.S. Attorney to Testify Under Oath This Month in the Broadview Six Case

Chicago's United States attorney must testify under oath this month about the collapse of the 'Broadview Six' prosecution, a federal judge ordered on Monday. U.S. District Judge April Perry's order that Andrew Boutros testify came the same day Boutros was sued by Douglas DePodesta, the former head of the FBI's Chicago field office, who accused Boutros of falsely scapegoating him for the case's failure and thereby forcing his resignation, Bloomberg Law reported.

The two developments converge on the same question: what happened inside the prosecution of six activists charged over protests at the immigration facility in Broadview, in Chicago's western suburbs. The charges against the six were dismissed after Judge Perry demanded the grand jury transcripts in the case — the collapse that DePodesta's lawsuit, covered by this desk earlier Monday, says was pinned on him.

Bloomberg Law's assessment is that the testimony order and the lawsuit together could provide the clearest avenues yet to determine what Boutros knew about the case's problems, and when he knew it. Testimony under oath, in the case overseen by the same judge who unraveled the prosecution, is a different kind of scrutiny than a press statement.

DePodesta led the FBI's Chicago field office from 2024 until this past July. Reporting earlier Monday noted that comment had been sought from Boutros's office and the Attorney General's office. No response had been published by Monday evening; this story will be updated when one is.