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.
‘Free Instacart for Welfare Queens’: California Begins Sending Out Luxury Food Boxes at Taxpayers’ Expense
California Mayor Allegedly Followed, Harassed, Blocked Car of Random Man She Thought Was ICE
Chuck Klosterman’s ‘Rock*’ is an exercise in fantastical pointlessness
Skilled trades now offer direct path to six-figure pay without college debt thanks to emerging tech industry
A look inside the Somali mall where Omar reappeared after DC raid raises more failed assimilation concerns
NYC woman critically injured after being stabbed multiple times while jogging along Brooklyn waterfront
Democrats’ self-inflicted wounds threaten high-stakes Michigan Senate race
Tough Time Finding an Affordable Car? Thank Obama’s Destruction of 680k Working Vehicles in 2009
Texas Claims 9 Rio Grande Islands in Power Move to Deny Cartels Safe Havens
College Hockey Star, Aspiring NYPD Cop Killed in Wrong-Way Crash: It Was a Twice-Deported Illegal Behind the Wheel
Tensions Heat Up in Taiwan Straight as China Shadows US Warship, Separate Maritime Standoff Erupts Near Taiwan
How House Democrats’ ‘deterrence message’ on Trump jobs could backfire
Outrage Erupts Over Minnesota Election Official’s Message on ‘Somali TV’: Doesn’t This Mean Illegals Can Easily Vote?
Pollster Who Predicted Clinton Landslide Against Trump Says GOP Can Still Win Midterms: ‘Lot of Winning Combinations’
Veteran Dem operative says subpar GOP candidates poised to hand over Senate majority
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.
