Douglas DePodesta says he was made a ‘scapegoat’ after the collapse of the Broadview Six prosecution, in a lawsuit that names the FBI director, the attorney general and Chicago’s top federal prosecutor
Douglas DePodesta, who ran the FBI’s Chicago field office until July, has sued the Department of Justice (DoJ), alleging he was pressured to open politically motivated investigations and then blamed when a high-profile case against anti-ICE protesters fell apart. The suit, filed on Monday, accuses US Attorney Andrew Boutros of “intentionally” misleading a judge and of campaigning for DePodesta’s removal. It names FBI director Kash Patel and attorney general Todd Blanche as well as Mr Boutros. The allegations are untested, and the DoJ, Mr Boutros and the FBI did not respond to inquiries.
The lawsuit’s allegations
Mr DePodesta, an FBI agent since 2002, led the Chicago office from August 2024 and left on 6 July. His 38-page complaint alleges defamation and violations of his due process and free speech rights. He seeks reinstatement, back pay, damages and legal fees, and a declaration that his constitutional rights were violated. The case has been assigned to US District Judge Matthew Kennelly.
During Operation Midway Blitz, the immigration crackdown in Chicago last year, the suit says Mr Boutros repeatedly pressed Mr DePodesta to launch investigations that were “politically motivated”. It alleges that on one occasion Mr Boutros was “openly hostile” when the FBI refused to write an affidavit saying a protester had “assaulted” an officer. According to the complaint, the FBI had reviewed video showing only “incidental touching as a result of the federal immigration agent’s tackling of the protester”. It also alleges that Mr Boutros emailed demands that the FBI investigate people because of their opposition to the Trump administration. The suit suggests the office faced pressure to charge Kat Abughazaleh, then a congressional candidate.
Mr DePodesta told the Chicago Sun-Times: “The American people need to know what is happening within their government … I will not let fear silence me.”
The Broadview Six case
The suit centres on the case against six activists charged with conspiracy to impede an ICE officer after a protest at the Broadview ICE facility near Chicago in September 2025. A grand jury twice declined to indict. Prosecutors went back and secured charges on a third attempt, on 23 October, according to WTTW. A judge later found misconduct in the grand jury proceedings, and the case was dismissed with prejudice, which means the charges cannot simply be refiled.
The complaint says Mr Boutros told the court he was “completely unaware” of the problems, but that he knew of the misconduct and his remarks were “intentionally false”. It alleges he then blamed Mr DePodesta and falsely accused him of conspiring with his sister-in-law, Nancy DePodesta, a defence lawyer who represented one of the six, Michael Rabbitt. Mr DePodesta says he had not discussed the case with her. He alleges senior FBI officials backed him but were pressured to force him out, and that deputy director Christopher Raia initially agreed the accusation could not be true. The suit calls an FBI post on X after his resignation, saying anyone “not on board with THIS FBI” was “free to leave”, “false and defamatory”. The suit also says only around 6% of Mr Boutros’s cases against anti-ICE protesters during Midway Blitz ended in a guilty finding.
Mr Boutros’s office had said he had not communicated with DoJ headquarters about the case. Mr DePodesta says that was false and that he attended two meetings where Mr Boutros discussed it with DoJ officials, including one with Mr Patel and Mr Blanche. Mr Boutros has told the court a meeting took place on 27 September 2025 with Washington officials, but said he does not recall the protesters’ names or politics being discussed.
Court still pursuing the matter
Judge April Perry is considering whether to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate possible criminal contempt. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward has challenged her request for communications between prosecutors and officials outside the Chicago office, and is expected in court on Thursday 5 November. Prosecutor Sheri Mecklenburg, who retired under protest in September, has separately alleged in a letter that Mr Boutros directed the felony prosecution against her advice. In an August filing, Mr Boutros accepted that the dismissed defendants were entitled to legal fees and said his office was reviewing more than 1,000 sets of grand jury minutes.
