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.
DC pipe bomb suspect says someone needed to ‘speak up’ about stolen election claims
Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizes Trump’s meetings with Zelenskyy, Netanyahu: ‘Can we just do America’
Tim Walz pushes back on Minnesota fraud allegations following viral daycare video
Ilhan Omar’s Somaliland stance slammed as Minnesota fraud scandal deepens
Trump, Zelenskyy say Ukraine peace deal close but ‘thorny issues’ remain after Florida talks
ICE delivers ‘greatest gift of all’ with Christmas arrests of convicted criminals across multiple states
Major cities see violent crime surge as national rates plummet significantly in 2025: survey
Deadly helicopter collision in New Jersey kills one, critically injures another
Is This Legal?: Leftist Group Recruits Military Officials to Turn Against Trump’s Drug Cartel Strikes
Charlie Kirk’s killing, Idaho murders plea and Karen Read verdict: Inside 2025’s biggest crime moments
FBI surges resources to Minnesota as Patel calls $250M fraud scheme ‘tip of iceberg’
‘Worst of the worst’: The 10 most violent illegal immigrants nabbed in 2025
Brits Weighed In on Whether Die Hard Is a Christmas Movie – Do You Agree with Them?
‘We are not afraid’: Erika Kirk vows TPUSA will continue campus debates nationwide
Crockett Flies Into a Rage Over Vance’s ‘Street-Girl Persona’ Comments
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.
