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Massachusetts judge who blocked migrant’s ICE arrest and let him slip out of the courthouse back door hit with new charges of ‘willful judicial misconduct’

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e3db2ad2a9bf2b0e940f1147cfb78e1c wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a1e1e&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Massachusetts Judge Shelley Joseph has been slapped with fresh charges after she was accused helping a twice-deported illegal immigrant evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement in April 2018 <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-509114bb4398b1168a12da1e92714ee0 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a1e1e&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>The <strong>Boston judge allegedly let Dominican migrant J<strong>ose Medina-Perez<&sol;strong> slip out the courthouse back door&comma; <strong><strong>blocking the migrant&&num;8217&semi;s ICE arrest <&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-55a9b13c6f200a4e0a0ae5239cec5123 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a1e1e&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong><strong><strong><strong>She was indicted in 2019&comma; but the charges were dropped in 2022&comma; after she agreed to refer herself to the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct<&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-647f75ed1df139f54f63444910072337 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a1e1e&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong><strong><strong><strong>The commission submitted it&&num;8217&semi;s report accusing Joseph of being economical with the truth when questioned and she has been <&sol;strong><&sol;strong>hit with new charges of &&num;8216&semi;willful judicial misconduct&&num;8217&semi; and bringing &&num;8216&semi;disrepute&&num;8217&semi; to the court system <&sol;strong> <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ad612473d0b17302b06312a056d94dac wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a1e1e&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>The commission requested that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court appoint a hearing officer to &&num;8216&semi;preside over a public hearing&comma;&&num;8217&semi; d<strong>epending on the outcome&comma; Joseph could lose her job as a judge<&sol;strong> <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2024&sol;12&sol;Shelley-Joseph-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-472316" style&equals;"width&colon;838px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Judge Shelley Joseph &lbrack;photo&rsqb;&comma; was indicted in April 2019 for allegedly helping an illegal migrant evade ICE officials&period; Assigned to Boston Municipal Court after the charges were dropped&comma; she now faces fresh charges from the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">A judge in Massachusetts judge for a second time is facing charges after she was accused helping a twice-deported illegal immigrant evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement in April 2018&period; <br>Judge Shelley Joseph&comma; 56&comma; was indicted in 2019&comma; a year after she allegedly allowed Jose Medina-Perez to walk out a back door of the Newton District Courthouse to avoid getting arrested by the ICE agents on duty&period; Joseph who is now assigned to Boston Municipal Court&comma; is under fire again two years after the initial charges were dropped in 2022&comma; when she &&num;8216&semi;agreed to refer herself&&num;8217&semi; to the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct&period;<br>Submitting a 112-page report&comma; the state&&num;8217&semi;s Commission on Judicial Conduct accused Shelley Joseph of &&num;8216&semi;willful judicial misconduct&&num;8217&semi; and bringing &&num;8216&semi;disrepute&&num;8217&semi; to the court system&comma; neither of which is a criminal charge&period; However&comma; the commission has asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to appoint a hearing officer&comma; likely a retired judge&comma; to &&num;8216&semi;preside over a public hearing&&num;8217&semi;&period;<br>Depending on the outcome of the hearing&comma; tentatively scheduled to happen within the next 60 days&comma; Shelley Joseph could lose her job as a judge in the state&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2024&sol;12&sol;Jose-Medina-Perez-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-472318" style&equals;"width&colon;840px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Jose Medina-Perez&comma; originally from the Dominican Republic&comma; was in court on April 2&comma; 2018&comma; facing drug charges and a fugitive from justice warrant from Pennsylvania<&sol;strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;dailymail&period;co&period;uk&sol;news&sol;article-14154833&sol;donald-trump-surgeon-general-dr-janette-nesheiwat-maga-fury-covid&period;html&quest;ico&equals;related-replace"><&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Leading up to the latest development&comma; back in 2019 Joseph faced a three count indictment by former US Attorney Andrew Lelling&comma; a Trump appointee for the incident of April 2&comma; 2018&period; However&comma; those charges were dropped in 2022&comma; when she &&num;8216&semi;agreed to refer herself&&num;8217&semi; to the judicial commission&period;<br>The commission has said in their charging documents that Joseph failed &&num;8216&semi;to cooperate and be candid and honest with judicial disciplinary authorities&&num;8217&semi;&period;<br>Defense attorney Thomas Hoopes&comma; said his client looks forward to a hearing &&num;8216&semi;where all the circumstances finally become public&&num;8217&semi;&period;<br>On April 2&comma; 2018&comma; Joseph was presiding over Medina-Perez&&num;8217&semi;s case in the Newton District Court after he had been arrested four days earlier for drug possession and being a fugitive from justice in Pennsylvania&period;<br>Medina-Perez&comma; a Dominican migrant&comma; had been deported from the US once in January 2003 and again in 2007&comma; according to <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;ice&period;gov&sol;news&sol;releases&sol;massachusetts-judge-court-officer-charged-obstructing-ice-arrest&num;&colon;~&colon;text&equals;After&percnt;20being&percnt;20released&percnt;20through&percnt;20the&comma;based&percnt;20on&percnt;20his&percnt;20immigration&percnt;20violations&period;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener">ICE<&sol;a>&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2024&sol;12&sol;Newton-District-Courthouse-Boston-MA-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-472324" style&equals;"width&colon;840px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>T<strong>he commission&&num;8217&semi;s report<&sol;strong> states that a<strong>fter discussions between judge Joseph and the defens<&sol;strong>e&comma; she enabled a scenario where the defendant could escape the Newton District Courthouse &lbrack;photo&rsqb;&comma; after learning ICE agents were at the courthouse armed with a &&num;8216&semi;civil immigration detainer&&num;8217&semi; for Medina-Perez as a &&num;8216&semi;deportable alien&&num;8217&semi; on release from state custody <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">According to the commission&&num;8217&semi;s report&comma; Joseph learned that ICE agents were at the courthouse armed with a &&num;8216&semi;civil immigration detainer&&num;8217&semi; that would have allowed them take custody of Medina-Perez as a &&num;8216&semi;deportable alien&&num;8217&semi; if he were released from state custody&period;<br>Before the final afternoon hearing&comma; the defense attorney for Medina-Perez allegedly colluded with the trial court officer to let his client sneak out a &&num;8216&semi;sally-port door&&num;8217&semi; in the lockup downstairs to avoid the ICE agents&period;<br>As part of their alleged agreement&comma; the defense attorney would get Medina-Perez to return to lockup after his court proceedings&comma; per the report&period;<br>When the hearing began at around 2&colon;48 pm&comma; Judge Joseph agreed to a sidebar conference&comma; where she was allegedly told that the prosecution no longer believed Medina-Perez was the same person subject to the Pennsylvania arrest warrant&period;<br>The prosecutor then said she would move to dismiss the fugitive charge and wouldn&&num;8217&semi;t seek bail on the drug charges&comma; according to the report&period;<br>This gave Judge Joseph two options&colon; release Medina-Perez on his own recognizance or detain him in jail until trial&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2024&sol;12&sol;Shelley-Joseph-3&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-472323" style&equals;"width&colon;840px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct said Shelley Joseph was &&num;8216&semi;less than fully candid&comma;&&num;8217&semi; when she <strong>faced questioning on the incident by the <&sol;strong>commission&period; She now faces fresh charges <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The defense then told Joseph that &&num;8216&semi;if he’s bailed out &&num;8230&semi; ICE will pick him up&comma;&&num;8217&semi; the report claims&period;<br>Joseph is said to have responded by saying&colon; &&num;8216&semi;ICE is gonna get him&quest;&&num;8217&semi; and &&num;8216&semi;What if we detain him&quest;&&num;8217&semi;<br>After this&comma; Joseph ordered the session clerk to shut down the courtroom recording system and proceeded to have a roughly 52-second off-the-record conversation with the defense and the prosecution&comma; according to the report&period;<br>Joseph&&num;8217&semi;s statements inquiring about ICE and asking about detaining Medina-Perez gave a &&num;8216&semi;reasonable impression&&num;8217&semi; that she was allowing him to evade the ICE agents that were in the lobby waiting&comma; the commission said&period;<br>Ultimately&comma; Joseph granted the defense&&num;8217&semi;s request to let Medina-Perez go downstairs to the lockup&comma; where he exited through the sally-port door at around 3&colon;01pm&comma; the commission said&period;<br>&&num;8216&semi;Judge Joseph was less than fully candid&&num;8230&semi; n failing to explicitly acknowledge that she had conducted part of the hearing off the record&comma;&&num;8217&semi; the commission stated&comma; adding that she also didn&&num;8217&semi;t immediately relay that she had granted the defense&&num;8217&semi;s request to let Medina-Perez go downstairs&period;<br>Despite the courthouse flight&comma; Boston-area ICE officers ultimately arrested Jose Medina-Perez a fortnight later&comma; based on his immigration violations&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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