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.
Possible Statue of Pharaoh Who Moses May Have Confronted Discovered in Egypt
Sanders-backed gubernatorial hopeful’s past pro-life views clash with current abortion stance
Trump Issues Forceful Defense of His Anti-Weaponization Fund as Senate Republicans Balk
Military families want DOJ to distribute nearly $800M from French cement company found guilty of bribing ISIS
‘Moderate’ Dem’s unearthed ‘deconstruct’ law enforcement comments draw fire from GOP critics
Inside the rise of hardship politics as wealthy Democrats eye 2028
Magnitude 6.0 earthquake rocks Hawaii’s Big Island as Kilauea volcano likely to erupt again in days
Judge Tosses Evidence Against Luigi Mangione
UC Davis fraternity student’s 2001 death ruled a suicide after 29 stab wounds questioned in true crime podcast
Dem Darling Raked In Cash From Donors With Chinese Gov’t, CCP Intel Ties
Platner’s brutal attacks on Army soldiers as ‘fat, lazy’ revealed in resurfaced posts
Havana regime in suspense after Castro indictment with Trump pressure on, says Cuban-born GOP Rep.
Kansas City barbecue restaurant prepares for World Cup tourism rush
Feds seize $6.4M worth of cocaine aboard oil tanker at Port of Los Angeles, arrest suspected cartel smuggler
‘Illicit’ version of fentanyl linked to deadly New Mexico incident that sickened first responders
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.
