Boutros Drops Four Broadview Six Charges After Grand Jury Misconduct
Chicago’s top federal prosecutor dropped charges on Thursday against the remaining four members of the Broadview Six after a grand jury case was tainted by misconduct allegations. Andrew Boutros told a federal judge he had been completely unaware of the misconduct until late last month, then ended the felony conspiracy case with prejudice.
That means the charges cannot be refiled. The defendants were the last members of the so-called Broadview Six still facing criminal charges in a case that grew out of Operation Midway Blitz.
Andrew Boutros and Judge Perry
Boutros made the announcement before U.S. District Judge April Perry and said, “no one acted with the intent to mislead your honor.” He also said the events on Sept. 26, 2025, outside an immigration holding facility in Broadview were “unacceptable in a civilized society. It is for the grace of God that that agent moved at 2 miles per hour.”
Perry responded, “You are significantly undercutting your mea culpa here by standing behind the charges and continuing to vilify these particular defendants.” She also said the issue of sanctions could be dealt with later, keeping the focus on the dismissal itself rather than immediate punishment.
Grand Jury Problems
Boutros said vouching was one grand jury problem. He also said a prosecutor had a conversation with a grand juror outside the jury room, and that some grand jurors who disagreed with the case were prevented from participating further.
Defense attorneys said the case had once been rejected by grand jurors in a no bill. That detail gave the dismissal added weight: the prosecution did not just end after a disputed hearing, it ended after the government acknowledged the case had been compromised at the charging stage.
Sealed Hearing Thursday Morning
Perry said she wanted to end the ordeal for the defendants and make public a transcript of a sealed hearing Thursday morning. She also said, “the interest in guaranteeing a fair jury to these defendants is more compelling than allowing access to this particular proceeding.”
The Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ, the Chicago Tribune and the Better Government Association intervened in the case Thursday morning. Their intervention came as the court weighed access to the sealed proceeding against the defendants’ jury rights, and the dismissal closed the criminal case against the final four Broadview Six defendants.
