Chicago Federal Prosecutors Audit Grand Jury Cases After Ethics Breach

A wide-ranging audit of grand jury proceedings in Chicago was launched after ethical violations caused a high-profile protest case to be thrown out.

Chicago Federal Prosecutors Audit Grand Jury Cases After Ethics Breach

A sweeping internal audit is underway at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago, covering more than a thousand presentations to grand juries made by state attorneys over roughly two decades.

Andrew Boutros, who leads the Northern District of Illinois, confirmed the examination on Wednesday. It encompasses every active grand jury matter in his jurisdiction plus historical presentations reaching back almost 20 years. The move follows the collapse of a prominent prosecution against four demonstrators arrested during an immigration enforcement operation last year.

According to reporting by ABC News, the case against the activists fell apart in May when a judge uncovered serious ethical breaches. These included a prosecutor holding an unauthorized private meeting with one grand juror, and the removal of panel members who voiced opposition to the charges. Boutros acknowledged the troubling nature of the conduct but maintained there was no deliberate effort to deceive the court.

In an unusual move, the judge ordered transcripts of the prosecutors' arguments made public. The released documents showed one grand juror dismissed the entire matter as a "crock of (expletive)" before being removed from the panel.

Boutros described the ongoing examination as both extensive and thorough, saying it aims to verify ethical standards among his staff and reassure the public that other cases remain sound. The controversy stems from a broader immigration crackdown that affected Chicago and surrounding communities last year.

The audit marks one of the most substantial accountability reviews in the recent history of the Chicago federal prosecutor's office.

Source: ABC News US