A Massachusetts judge accused of helping an illegal immigrant evade ICE has had $127,000 in legal fees paid by taxpayers, according to a report.
In addition, a court officer who was indicted along with the judge has benefitted from $2,500 in legal fees paid by the public, the report said.
Newton District Court Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph, 51, pleaded not guilty in April when she was arraigned in a Boston courtroom on obstruction-of-justice charges stemming from an incident that allegedly took place April 2, 2018.
Prosecutors claimed in court documents in April that Joseph, along with Court Officer Wesley MacGregor, 56, helped Jose Medina-Perez, a twice-deported illegal immigrant with a fugitive warrant for drunken driving in Pennsylvania, sneak out a back door – eluding agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — after he appeared in court to be arraigned on drug charges, according to MassLive.com.
New York leaders condemn ‘intifada’ chants targeting a synagogue led by a Holocaust survivor
GOP wrestles with Obamacare fix as Trump looms over subsidy fight
Fact Check: No, the Comey Prosecutor Did Not Mislead Grand Jurors, Regardless of What the Biden-Appointed Judge Says
ICE deports MS-13 gang leader who tried to ‘game our immigration system’ under Biden administration, DHS says
Even CNN Can’t Believe Jasmine Crockett’s Absurd Excuse for False Epstein Accusation Against Trump Official
Climate deadlines collide with politics as Dem-led states chase Big Oil in court but spare local refiners
Dem lawmaker sets litmus test for party with 5th Trump impeachment effort
Touchdown: Trump’s New Jersey Generals jacket auctioned for $18,658
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: Hating on Miss Israel
Decamillionaires in Congress make taxpayers pay for their lodging and lunches
House members react to indictment of Florida Democrat: ‘Most egregious abuses of public trust’
Shapiro responds to illegal immigrant trucker fiasco – says driver was in fed database first
Trump labels 6 Democrats who told troops to refuse unlawful orders ‘traitors’ who should be arrested
Another One: Man Accused of Setting Woman on Fire on Chicago Train Has 49 Previous Arrests, 10 Felonies
Shock Video: Adult Inexplicably Orders Child, 9, to Move Car – Neighbor’s Cam Caught Chaos That Followed
Medina-Perez, who had been barred from entering the U.S. until 2027, was caught by immigration officials about a month after the hearing. He is currently involved in deportation proceedings after previously being deported in 2003 and 2007, the Boston Herald reported.
After her indictment, Joseph was suspended without pay but filed an appeal to have her salary of $184,600 reinstated, the Boston Herald reported. MacGregor was being paid $83,344 a year but recently retired, the report said.
A crowdfunding site, meanwhile, shows that donors have pledged more than $60,000 to help Joseph pay legal bills, according to the Herald.
Taxpayers ceased picking up the tab for the judge when she was indicted, a court official told the newspaper. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Story cited here.
