Former Chicago FBI special agent in charge Douglas DePodesta has sued Justice Department officials, including U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, alleging politically motivated prosecutions tied to the Broadview Six case. The lawsuit was filed Monday, and a federal judge has ordered Boutros and others to testify Nov. 16.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the nine-count lawsuit also names FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche, the FBI and the Justice Department. DePodesta alleges that Boutros pursued prosecutions of protesters that became an "unprecedented disaster" for his office. These are claims in the lawsuit, not findings by a court.
DePodesta alleges that Boutros falsely told superiors in Washington that DePodesta and his sister-in-law, defense attorney Nancy DePodesta, conspired to destroy the Broadview Six case. Details of these allegations also appeared in a post on the r/USNEWS forum on Reddit.
The Broadview Six were charged with conspiracy to impede a federal agent over a September 2025 protest outside an ICE facility in Broadview. Most were involved in local Democratic politics, including Kat Abughazaleh, who ran for Congress. The Sun-Times reported that Boutros’s office charged 33 known defendants tied to Operation Midway Blitz. Only two have been convicted, and most charges have been dropped.
The Broadview Six case collapsed May 21 after Judge April Perry found apparent misconduct by Boutros’s staff in seeking an indictment from a grand jury.
U.S. District Judge April Perry ordered Boutros and others to testify Nov. 16, writing that the testimony is mandatory in its "legal sense." She called Boutros’s statements about the case "hard to credit" and "nearly unfathomable." She also said there was an adequate basis to inquire whether willful false statements were made to the court.
Boutros took office in April 2025 through a temporary appointment by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. He was later chosen by Chicago’s federal judges to continue in the role. Last summer, local Democrats called for his resignation, and Blanche expressed support for him.
Boutros did not comment. The Justice Department, FBI and Boutros spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment, and DePodesta’s attorneys did not immediately respond to inquiries. Boutros’s office told the court there were no communications with anyone outside its office about charging decisions, including with the White House or Justice Department headquarters. The lawsuit alleges this was false, and no response from Boutros has been reported. Chief Judge Virginia Kendall declined to comment, citing the judicial code of conduct.
Judge Matthew Kennelly will decide whether DePodesta’s lawsuit proceeds. Boutros, Nancy DePodesta’s related claims and others must testify Nov. 16 under Perry’s order.
The key facts in this report rely largely on the Chicago Sun-Times, and the text of its article was cut off before the end. DePodesta’s account, including that he attended two meetings with Boutros and Justice Department officials, is unverified and has no independent second source.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.