Federal trial to begin for Milwaukee judge accused of helping undocumented man evade arrest
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan walks into the Milwaukee Federal Courthouse on May 15, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The federal trial is set to start on Monday for a Wisconsin judge accused of concealing an undocumented man to prevent his arrest by immigration authorities.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was charged in a two-count federal indictment that alleges she obstructed official Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings and knowingly concealed the man from immigration authorities at a courthouse in April.
She has pleaded not guilty.
Opening statements are expected to get underway on Monday in the Milwaukee trial, following jury selection last week.
Prosecutors have told the court they expect to have 25 to 28 witnesses.
Dugan could face up to six years in prison if convicted as charged.
According to federal prosecutors, Dugan encountered federal agents who were at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court on April 18 to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was appearing in her courtroom on a battery charge.
Prosecutors say that after speaking to the agents, Dugan directed them to the chief judge’s office down the hall and then sent Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a non-public door in an alleged attempt, authorities claim, to help him evade arrest on immigration violations.
Dugan’s lawyers have called her arrest “virtually unprecedented” and sought to dismiss the case, arguing she has judicial immunity for official acts and her prosecution is unconstitutional. Judge Lynn Adelman denied the motion, finding there was “no basis for granting immunity simply because some of the allegations in the indictment describe conduct that could be considered ‘part of a judge’s job.'”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan in the wake of her arrest, stating in an order it was “in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties.”
Flores-Ruiz, a native of Mexico, was later arrested and charged with unlawful reentry into the U.S.
He was sentenced to time served earlier this month after pleading guilty to the charge, federal court records show. DHS said last month he had been deported.
(WASHINGTON) — Federal officials on Thursday morning revealed more details about the attack that left two National Guard members in critical condition in an apparent “targeted shooting” near the White House.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital, identified the two wounded members of the West Virginia National Guard as Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24.
The shooting took place around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday near the Farragut West Metro station.
Pirro said the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, allegedly drove cross-country from Washington state to target the guard members.
She said the suspect, an Afghan national, ambushed the guard members, opening fire with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
“One guardsman is struck, goes down, and then the shooter leans over and strikes the guardsman again. Another guardsman is struck several times,” she said.
Other National GuaU.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, one of two West Virginia National Guard members wounded in a “targeted shooting” near the White House on Wednesday, has died, President Donald Trump said Thursday.
Trump made the announcement as he made calls to the U.S. military on Thanksgiving.
Beckstrom, 20, was a “highly respected, young, magnificent person,” Trump said. “She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her. It’s just happened.”
The other wounded National Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
“The other young man is fighting for his life,” Trump said. “He’s in very bad shape. He’s fighting for his life.”
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital, posted a statement on social media following Trump’s announcement.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom of the National Guard — a hero who volunteered to serve DC on Thanksgiving for people she never met and gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Pirro said in the post. “May she rest in peace. It is now time to avenge her death and secure justice.”
Earlier Thursday, federal officials revealed more details about the attack and the suspected shooter.
The shooting took place around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday near the Farragut West Metro station.
Pirro said the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, drove from Washington state to target the guard members.
She said the suspect, an Afghan national, ambushed the Guard members, opening fire with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
“One Guardsman is struck, goes down, and then the shooter leans over and strikes the Guardsman again. Another Guardsman is struck several times,” she said.
Other National Guard members quickly responded and helped subdue the suspected shooter after he was shot by a Guard member, she said.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey went to D.C. Wednesday night and visited the Guard members in the hospital overnight, according to his office.
“I’m asking every West Virginian to pray for our two Guardsmen as their families, friends, and neighbors struggle with this unspeakable tragedy,” Morrisey said in a statement.
The governor also met with the president to discuss the investigation.
“These facts demand a comprehensive investigation so we can bring those responsible to justice. We will continue working closely with federal authorities to get clear answers,” Morrisey said.
In an interview on Thanksgiving, Morrisey told ABC News’ D.C. affiliate WJLA that the two Guardsmen had volunteered for their mission in the nation’s capital.
The governor said he spoke to Trump and top administration officials the night of the shooting about the ongoing investigation.
“They want to have a complete investigation, and they want to get to the bottom of this. I think people want justice, people want accountability, and that is a theme that’s shared throughout the highest levels of the administration,” Morrisey said. “And I think everyone’s sickened to death by what happens, but now we have to show respect and go through the judicial process, uphold the rule of law and make sure at the end, there’s accountability for what’s been done.”
Morrisey said the West Virginia National Guard takes pride in its mission in Washington.
“The Guardsmen that are here, they all volunteered for the mission. These are people that wanted to serve because they know that the mission was good,” he said. “People were working to reduce crime. Well, they were succeeding in their mission. One of the talks I had with the president was about that very point that their mission was succeeding. The Guard knew that that was happening. So this is something that matters a lot. It’s our nation’s capital. So people were very enthusiastic about it.”
Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, commander of the D.C. National Guard, was emotional as he talked about the struggles Beckstrom and Wolfe’s families were facing as other Americans celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Regardless of the outcome, we know that their lives, their family lot, their families, lives are all changed forever because one person decided to do this horrific and evil thing,” he said.
Pirro said that the suspect will be charged with several counts, including assault with intent to harm and criminal possession of a weapon. She noted that those charges could change depending on the fate of the wounded guard members.
The suspect’s motive is still unclear, according to officials, speaking at a news conference.
FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters the probe is “ongoing investigation of terrorism.”
Investigators searched the suspect’s Bellingham, Washington, home and interviewed tenants for more information, according to Patel. Patel also said interviews were taking place in San Diego, but declined to provide further details.
He noted that the FBI received confirmation from the Department of Defense and CIA “that the subject had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces.”
“We are fully investigating that aspect of his background as well, to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America,” Patel said.
Lakanwal, who Pirro said had a wife and five children, came to the United States in 2021 under the Biden administration, Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement Wednesday evening.
He applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted that status in April of this year, under the Trump administration, according to three law enforcement sources.
“He previously worked with the USG, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021 following the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement.
“[The suspect] would have been vetted against classified and unclassified holdings when he came here and as part of the asylum process,” said ABC News contributor John Cohen, former head of intelligence for the Department of Homeland Security and a former U.S. counterterrorism coordinator.
“He was actually granted asylum under the Trump administration … This does raise the question whether the administration is focusing enough on terrorism threats versus civil immigration enforcement.”
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are spending Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and were not at the White House during the time of the incident.
Trump released a video statement Wednesday night calling the shooting an “act of hatred,” and ordering the reexamination of all Afghan immigrants admitted under the Biden administration.
He also ordered an additional 500 Guard troops to be deployed to D.C. Trump planned on making a traditional phone call to members of the military Thursday night, but it was not immediately known if he would speak to any National Guard members.
The National Guard was deployed to the nation’s capital as part of Trump’s federal takeover of the city and crime crackdown in August. According to the most recent update, there were 2,188 Guard personnel assigned to D.C.
On Tuesday, during the traditional turkey pardoning at the White House, Trump touted his administration’s takeover of D.C. streets. He said it was “one of our most unsafe places anywhere in the United States. It is now considered a totally safe city.”
“You could walk down any street in Washington and you’re going to be just fine. And I want to thank the National Guard. I want to thank you for the job you’ve done here is incredible,” Trump said at the event.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Alex Presha contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Facing a 30-day deadline to release the Epstein files, the Department of Justice has asked two judges in the Southern District of New York to authorize the release of grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton – whom Attorney General Pam Bondi tapped to lead an investigation into prominent Democrats associated with Epstein – signed a motion asking the judges who oversaw the Epstein and Maxwell cases to approve the release of the grand jury materials, subject to the necessary redactions.
“In the light of the Act’s clear mandate, the Court should authorize the Department of Justice to release the grand jury transcripts and exhibits and modify any preexisting protective orders that would otherwise prevent public disclosure by the Government of materials the disclosure of which is required by the Act,” the motions said, referring to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, recently signed into law by President Trump.
While the motion noted that the law allows redactions to seal materials that “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution,” the filings did not mention the recently initiated investigation into Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, and Reid Hoffman ordered by Trump.
Citing the 30-day deadline, the Department of Justice requested an expedited ruling on the motion and said it would “work with the relevant United States Attorney’s Offices to make appropriate redactions of victim-related and other personal identifying information.”
The Department of Justice unsuccessfully sought approval to unseal the grand jury records in August, with both judges concluding that the government did not demonstrate a legal basis to release the materials. In one decision, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman sharply criticized the DOJ for asking the court to get involved when the government already had the relevant files in their possession.
“The instant grand jury motion appears to be a ‘diversion’ from the breadth and scope of the Epstein files in the Government’s possession. The grand jury testimony is merely a hearsay snippet of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged conduct,” he wrote.
“The Government’s complete information trove would better inform the public about the Epstein case,” he added.
Luigi Mangione appears for the second day of a suppression of evidence hearing in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 02, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A police officer who responded last Dec. 9 to a McDonald’s where witnesses said they may have spotted the man accused of killing a health care CEO testified Tuesday that he knew right away it was the suspect.
“I knew it was him immediately,” Altoona, Pennsylvania, police officer Joseph Detwiler testified about Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last year.
Mangione, 27, is in court Tuesday for the second day of a high-stakes hearing in his state criminal case, where his lawyers are fighting to bar prosecutors from using key evidence against him — including the alleged murder weapon and writings that prosecutors say amount to a confession — by arguing it was unlawfully seized when his backpack was searched without a warrant.
The backpack was searched by law enforcement as they arrested Mangione in Pennsylvania, five days after the fatal shooting of Thompson on a sidewalk in midtown Manhattan. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to killing Thompson.
Defense attorneys have alleged that Detwiler violated Mangione’s rights by questioning him for nearly twenty minutes without reading him his Miranda rights. They argue that mistake should justify barring prosecutors from introducing any testimony about the statements Mangione made to police that morning.
Recollecting the events of Dec. 9, Detwiler testified that he responded sarcastically when he got the dispatch call that a local McDonald’s manager reported a “male who looks like the NYC shooter.” He said he didn’t even turn on his police sirens when he drove to the McDonald’s because he “did not think it was going to be him.”
“I did not think it was going to be the person they thought it was,” he testified, though he noted his supervisor promised to buy him a “hoagie” if he “got the NYC shooter.”
“I said consider it done,” Detwiler testified.
An avid watcher of Fox News, Detwiler testified he saw the images of the murder suspect “a lot” and was familiar with the ongoing coverage of the high-profile assassination. Prosecutor Joel Seidemann walked through each of the photos of the suspect that circulated after the shooting; each time, Detwiler responded in a monotone voice that said he saw the pictures in the same place — Fox News.
“I saw a lot of Fox News and saw a lot of video and articles on the shooter. I saw the person’s picture many, many times prior to those five days — many times,” he said.
During Detwiler’s testimony, prosecutors for the first time played his body-camera footage from the morning of Dec. 9. The footage showed Detwiler and his partner casually entering the McDonald’s before turning right to the rear of the restaurant, where they found Mangione sitting at a table.
“What’s your name?” Detwiler asked in the footage.
“Mark,” Mangione said.
“Mark what?” Detwiler asked.
“Mark Rosario,” Mangione said.
“Someone called and said you were suspicious,” Detwiler said in the video. “Thought you looked like someone.”
Prosecutors on the first day of the hearing on Monday played for the first time security camera footage from inside the McDonald’s where Mangione was arrested, the 911 call placed by the store manager who expressed alarm that he “looked like the CEO shooter in New York,” and the minute-to-minute dispatch audio leading to his arrest.
“There’s a male in the store that looks like the NYC shooter,” a dispatcher said in a recording played in court.
The crux of Mangione’s argument is that his constitutional rights were violated when Pennsylvania police interrogated him before reading him his rights and searching his backpack without a warrant.
Defense lawyers allege that officers waited nearly 20 minutes after first approaching Mangione, extensively questioning him about his whereabouts without informing him of his right to remain silent.
They also allege that officers searched through his backpack — which allegedly contained a handgun, magazine, and his journal — without having a warrant.
Citing police body camera footage, they argue that officers searched Mangione’s backpack as early as 9:58 a.m. but waited until after 5 p.m. to seek a warrant. They have asked the judge to limit prosecutors from using the evidence because it was the “fruit” of an illegal search.
Prosecutors argue the arrest and search were conducted lawfully, and that the evidence overwhelmingly proves Mangione’s guilt.
If defense attorneys succeed in limiting the evidence seized from Mangione’s backpack and statements made during his arrests, they could severely undercut the prosecution’s case against the alleged murderer.
