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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

#BREAKING Federal prosecutors in Chicago have moved to permanently dismiss charges against two defendants in a fraud case tied to Loretto Hospital in what appears to be a bid to avoid a hearing over prosecutorial misconduct before a grand jury:

GOVERNMENT’S EMERGENCY UNOPPOSED MOTION TO DISMISS INDICTMENT WITH PREJUDICE AS TO DEFENDANTS KHAN AND CHAUDHRY
The United States of America, by its attorney, Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, respectfully moves this Court pursuant to Rule 48(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to dismiss with prejudice the indictment as to defendants Mahmood Sami Khan and Suhaib Ahmad Chaudhry only. In support of this motion, the government states as follows:
1. On June 12, 2025, defendants Khan and Chaudhry were charged in the indictment in this case. R. 1. Defendant Khan is charged in Counts Seven, Eight, Eleven, Thirteen, and Nineteen of the indictment. Defendant Chaudhry is charged in Count Nineteen of the indictment.
2. Rule 48(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provides in pertinent part that “[t]he government may, with leave of court, dismiss an indictment. . . .” The government moves this Court pursuant to Rule 48(a) to dismiss the indictment with prejudice as to defendants Khan and Chaudhry only. Specifically,

the government requests that Khan be dismissed with prejudice from Counts Seven, Eight, Eleven, Thirteen, and Nineteen, and that Chaudhry be dismissed with prejudice from Count Nineteen.
3. The government has conferred with counsel for defendant Khan and Chaudhry about their positions as to this motion. Counsel for Khan and Chaudhry do not object to this motion to dismiss the indictment with prejudice as to their clients.
4. The government has filed this motion on an emergency basis because the parties to this motion have deadlines tomorrow, Friday, June 12, 2026, in anticipation of an evidentiary hearing on June 17, 2026. The parties are required to submit a witness list by June 12, 2026 and the government is required to make disclosures by June 12, 2026. The government wishes to file this motion for the Court’s consideration before the June 12, 2026 deadlines and the June 17, 2026 hearing.
WHEREFORE, for the foregoing reasons, the government respectfully moves this Court to dismiss the indictment as to defendants Khan and Chaudhry only as to those counts in which they have been charged.
Respectfully submitted,
ANDREW S. BOUTROS United States Attorney
By: /s/ Diane MacArthur DIANE MacARTHUR
KELLY GUZMAN

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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

JUST IN: 111 former federal prosecutors who served in the Northern District of Illinois have issued a statement about Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros' office, expressing concern about an exodus of talent, grand jury irregularities, collapsed cases and a breach of trust with judges:

“Your sole goal is to do justice. Your client is justice itself,” U.S. District Judge April M. Perry said on May 21 to three Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) standing before her in court.
Since then, the fallout continues from the well-documented troubling developments that led to the collapse of the ‘Broadview Six’ case in Federal Court in Chicago. Regrettably, there is little doubt that actions taken by leadership in the last year have tarnished the reputation of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, where each of us once served as an AUSA.
Collectively, our experience in the office spans seven decades. We remain proud of our service and deeply protective of the office’s historic reputation for integrity, professionalism, and political independence.
Our unique perspective makes it heartbreaking for us to express concerns with developments we have observed in that office since the spring of 2025: the exodus of talented, experienced leadership and line prosecutors; acknowledged grand jury irregularities; charging decisions that have resulted in unusual grand jury “no bills,” acquittals, and dismissals; and breaches of trust with judges.
These matters raise questions about whether there is a failure of leadership in the office we deeply respect and whether once-forbidden political considerations are infecting prosecutorial decisions. The answer to both questions, in our view, is yes.
For decades, our former office earned a reputation for winning significant cases while playing by the rules. We hope that the next few months will provide an opportunity to begin an effort to restore this reputation. That, however, will require candor from U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros; the courage to stand above and apart from political fealty; and a willingness to address the failures that have occurred. It will require action, not mere words.
We recognize and appreciate that judges and lawyers for the parties will sort out the issues affect…

may, which U.S. Attorneys appointed by Presidents of both parties, have followed since at least 1970.
This impartial approach was not optional. It was mandated in the aptly named Justice Manual, a Justice Department document that provides policies and guidance relevant to the work of U.S. Attorney’s Offices. The Justice Manual plainly states:
The legal judgments of the Department of Justice must be impartial and insulated from political influence. Justice Manual 1-8.100.
Further, its Principles of Federal Prosecution provide that an attorney for the government must believe “that the admissible evidence will probably be sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction . . ..” Justice Manual 9-27.220
The combination of concerning developments occurring over the last year deserve serious public scrutiny because, ultimately, they affect not only the quality of justice, but the lives of more than nine million residents across 18 counties in the Northern District of Illinois. These matters include:
• The departure of many senior, experienced leaders and prosecutors in the office. Turnover always occurs but the volume of veteran prosecutors leaving the office over the last year is extraordinary. The challenge is exacerbated by the hiring of new AUSAs who require time to fully grow into their jobs but will be without an abundance of valuable mentors.
• Recent grand jury irregularities. While prosecutors can and do make mistakes, serious grand jury missteps are avoidable and inexcusable, given the power they wield in this sensitive and confidential setting. Mr. Boutros’ recent announcement of grand jury reforms was long on superlatives and short on details. Mr. Boutros’ highly unusual special report regarding his remarks to grand jurors about their duties is unprecedented in our collective experience and raises more questions than answers. He took the extraordinary step of questioning the grand jurors about whether they were “struggling” with immigration cases after they had pr…

beyond a reasonable doubt. When cases struggle before a grand jury, where prosecutors need only establish probable cause, that should be a serious warning sign that cases should not result in indictments, unless and until additional evidence is obtained.
For context, according to public reporting, prosecutors charged 33 defendants with nonimmigration crimes related to Midway Blitz. The vast majority of those cases have already collapsed through dismissals, no bills, acquittals, or deferred prosecution agreements — a striking departure from the office’s historic record.
The pattern and timing of charging decisions, public rhetoric surrounding the operation, and the extraordinary collapse rate of these prosecutions raise at least the appearance that improper considerations supplanted the office’s historical exercise of prosecutorial discretion free from political influence.
• Breaches of trust and the presumption of regularity. Perhaps most worrisome for us is the growing concern expressed among judges that AUSAs may no longer be worthy of the presumption of regularity traditionally afforded to prosecutors. When judges increasingly call into question the motivation or candor of prosecutors and agents, that is a sure sign the standard has been compromised. The abuse of trust is devastating and reversing that tide must be a top priority of the office’s leadership.
These are, indeed, challenging times across the Justice Department but the challenges cannot be excuses for lowering its previously high standards. We support the efforts of current AUSAs to uphold the standard that Judge Perry, herself a former supervisory AUSA, so eloquently articulated.
At the same May 21 hearing, Mr. Boutros personally dismissed with prejudice the sole misdemeanor charges against the four remaining Broadview defendants just days before they were to stand trial. Judge Perry properly noted that he significantly undercut his mea culpa by “continuing to vilify these particular defendants.”
Des…

crime was committed, it sent an entirely wrong message to impressionable and inexperienced AUSAs.
We write because we love the Chicago and Rockford U.S. Attorney’s Office and know how far these developments fall outside long-established norms.
We write because an educated public is the only hope against overzealous prosecutions.
We hope our collective voice will help renew and strengthen the standards we helped to build and maintain. We urge other lawyers and the public to raise their voices to ensure that the office’s essential mission remains the pursuit of justice.

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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

The signatories are below, in this post and the post that follows. The organizers say each person signed as an individual and private citizen. They add that, "there are myriad reasons why some [former federal prosecutors] might have chosen not to add their names."

Saurish Appleby-Bhattacharjee Stephen Baker
David Bohan
Robert Breisblatt
Stuart Chanen Ashley Chung Kalia Coleman John Collins Patrick Collins William Conlon Vince Connelly Colleen Coughlin Susan Cox Matthew Crowl Erika Csicsila Patrick E. Deady Megan DeMarco Nancy DePodesta

Scott Drury
Joseph Duffy
Kevin Egan
Nicholas Eichenseer William Elsbury Charles Ex
Joe Ferguson Michael Ferrara Patrick Foley
Sean J.B. Franzblau Leonard Gail
Chris Gair
John Gallo
Julie Getzels
Gail Ginsberg
Helene Greenwald Lisa Kern Griffin Christopher Grohman Jeffrey Hansen
Steve Heinze
Mark Hersh
David Hoffman
Erik Hogstrom
Patricia Brown Holmes Christopher Hotaling James Hynes

Sharon E. Jones Jason Julien Steven Kadison Bennett Kaplan Michael Kelly Robert Kent, Jr. Ludwig E. Kolman Rick Kornfield Betsy Landes Joan Laser
Scott Lassar
Richard Leng
Lee A. Marinaccio Anthony J. Masciopinto Mary Anne Mason
Jack McKenzie
Carolyn Fitzhugh McNiven Thomas K. McQueen
John Meyer
Celia Meza
Ricardo Meza
Barry Miller
Kathy Murdock
Gordon Nash
Nancy Needles
Sheila Markin Nielsen

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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

JUST IN: Former federal prosecutors from the Northern District of Illinois, now acting as private citizens, issue a statement calling the latest indictment of ex-FBI director James Comey "absurdly weak." They notably do not include Patrick Fitzgerald, who is Comey's lawyer.

STATEMENT REGARDING THE INDICTMENT OF JAMES COMEY
The absurdly weak indictment of James Comey would never have been brought by an independent Department of Justice. Sadly, there are real threats made against the lives of Presidents, members of Congress, judges, and other public servants. When the evidence supports charges, those threats should be prosecuted. However, the April 28 indictment against James Comey does not meet the most basic requirements of the Justice Department’s prosecution standards.
The Justice Manual issued by the Justice Department provides:
The rule of law depends upon the evenhanded administration of justice. The legal judgments of the Department of Justice must be impartial and insulated from political influence. It is imperative that the Department’s investigatory and prosecutorial powers be exercised free from partisan consideration. It is a fundamental duty of every employee of the Department to ensure that these principles are upheld in all of the Department’s legal endeavors.
Justice Manual 1-8.100.
Based on the timing, content, and circumstances surrounding it, the indictment of James Comey is a transparent use of the Justice Department’s awesome power to further the President’s personal agenda. That abuse of power is a threat to the freedom of every American. The Justice Department serves and protects the people of the United States; it is not the President’s personal law firm.
The indictment of Mr. Comey is hopelessly flawed. The idea that publishing a photograph of seashells arranged on a beach in two numbers is proof beyond a reasonable doubt of intentionally making a threat “to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon the

President” is laughable. To label a picture of seashells a death threat dilutes the Department’s credibility and, as a result, its ability to prosecute real crimes. And we must not forget the timing: the alleged threat was made almost a year ago but was not charged as a crime until other efforts to successfully prosecute Mr. Comey had failed. The motive is transparently to get the President’s perceived adversary at all costs—even when the cost is the Justice Department’s integrity.
The April 28 indictment does not come close to meeting the standard set for the Justice Department when its prosecutors seek an indictment. As the case unfolds, we trust the legal process will determine whether prosecutors who presented the charges before the grand jury that returned the indictment acted properly. We make this statement not because we believe it will sway those in power; we know it will not. We make this statement because as former Justice Department prosecutors we need to speak out in the hope the people of these United States demand more of their government.
Sergio Acosta
Kristina Anderson
Stephen Baker
Saurish Appleby-Bhattacharjee Steven Block
Robert Breisblatt Ruben Castillo Stuart Chanen

Ashley Chung
Kalia Coleman Patrick Collins William Conlon Vince Connelly Colleen D Coughlin Susan Cox Matthew Crowl Erika Csicila Patrick Deady Megan DeMarco Nancy DePodesta Judith Dobkin Scott Drury
Joseph Duffy
Scott M. Edenfield Kevin Egan
Nicholas Eichenseer William Elsbury Charles Ex
Sharon Fairley Michael Ferrara
Jim Fieweger
Patrick Foley
Sean J. B. Franzblau Leonard Gail
Chris Gair
John Gallo
Julie Getzels
Dan Gillogly
Helene Greenwald Christopher Grohman Jeffrey Hansen Rodger A. Heaton Steve Heinze Matthew Hernandez David Hoffman
Erik Hogstrom Jason Julien Bennett Kaplan Robert Kent Michael King Ludwig E Kolman Richard Kornfield Steven Kowal Scott Lassar Richard Leng Joel R. Levin
Lee A Marinaccio Sheila Markin Mary Anne Mason John McKenzie

Carolyn Fitzhugh McNiven Thomas McQueen
John Meyer
Barry Miller
Charles Mulaney Kathy Murdock Gordon Nash Nancy Needles Mike O’Brien Michael O’Connell Rick Palmore Vicki Peters Andrew Porter Julie Porter Theodore Poulos Tiffany Preston Eric Pruitt
Preston Pugh Dan Purdom Sr Pravin Rao Dan Reidy
Dan Reinberg Mark Rotert
Ron Safer
Joan Safford Kaarina Salovaara

Randall Samborn Katherine Sawyer William J. Schilling Tom Scorza
Gary Shapiro Steve Sinnott Charles Sklarsky Dylan Smith Paul Stack
Joe Stewart
Keith Syfert
Robert W. Tarun Aylice Toohey Stephanie L. Uhlarik Anton Valukas
Mark Vogel Dan Webb Andrea Zopp James Zuba

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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

parade.com/news/wkrp-in...

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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes, in dismissing Midway Blitz-related charges against Dana Briggs last week, said he was lifting restrictions on relevant video. Today he made the video available through the clerk's office at no cost to the public. Here's the first.

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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

NEW: Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes on the many dismissed cases tied to Midway Blitz: "The Court cannot help but note just how unusual and possibly unprecedented it is for the U.S. Attorney's Office in this district to charge so hastily." Read the opinion: cst.brightspotcdn.com/14/e7/bd8a48...

cst.brightspotcdn.com

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Incredible. If you grew up in Indiana, you know what a big deal this is.

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Ken Jennings @kenjennings.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

I support everyone giving vast sums of money to Andrew Cuomo. It’s the “lighting a million quid on fire” art piece but this time performed by the worst people in the world.

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Popehat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Since Trump is firing as many smart AUSAs as he can, it's kind for the criminals to commit crimes that even Trumpist dipshits can prove www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/d...

justice.gov

Defendant Charged with Threatening to Murder a Federal Judge

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Barbra Streisand @barbrastreisand.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Trump and the GOP constantly campaign that crime is out of control. In fact as this FBI report reported, violent and property crime last year was at its lowest level since the 1960s. This fact should be more broadly known by our citizens.

An overwhelming majority of Americans, 64 percent, believe that crime increased across the country in 2024, according to a Gallup survey conducted late last year.

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Justice Connection @justiceconnection.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

To elevate Emil Bove to a lifetime judicial appointment without fully investigating his disgraceful conduct at DOJ would violate every senator's duty to ensure we remain a nation of laws.

nytimes.com

900 Ex-Justice Dept. Lawyers Urge Senate Not to Confirm Bove as Federal Appeals Judge

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Jose Pagliery @josepagliery.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

I'm sorry, nine HUNDRED former DOJ lawyers all signed this letter opposing Emil Bove's nomination to be an appellate federal judge? 900?!

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Popehat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

/4 Except that’s manifestly not true. It’s just wrong on its face. Witness testimony is evidence. Mr. de Gonzales describes an explicit hate crime. You can decide not to believe him, but if you say there is “no evidence whatsoever” of a hate motive, you’re just lying.

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Beef Teef @beefteef.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

“I juss wanna say right now to all youse standin’ out here in da square, celebratin’ me becoming pope - youse all is gettin two tree beef sammiches - dipped, sweet peppers.”

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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

It’s only getting much play in the trade/transport niche press. But pretty real product shortages beginning in mid-May or so are already locked in. They’re maybe a thousand miles out in the Pacific Ocean. Modern trade takes place in gargantuan container ships. There are very detailed records …

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The Athletic | Football @theathleticfc.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Wrexham make history by becoming the first club to win three promotions in a row to go from non-League to the Championship.

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 31/03/2025

🚨Over 1,300 former DOJ officials—spanning both parties—have signed a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s attacks on the legal profession and the rule of law. Read their urgent warning and call to action: protdem.org/doj-alumni-s...

medium.com

DOJ Alumni Statement Opposing Executive Branch Attacks on Lawyers and Law Firms

We, the undersigned, are alumni of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) who have collectively served both Republican and…

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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

This continues to be the biggest story in the country: DOGE has already squandered half a trillion dollars in 6 weeks. Not billion. half a trillion, $500 billion talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/irs-p...

talkingpointsmemo.com

IRS Predicts DOGE Lost Half a Trillion Dollars for the USA

The Post reports today that the IRS’ internal projections estimate that the...

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Beef Teef @beefteef.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

I am anonymous on socials beacuse I am an attorney and don’t want my opinions affecting my work or clients. But I put down my dog Sweet Pea today and wanted to post about that. This picture is from the shelter website we adopted her from 14 years ago. What a dog.

Balck white and brown hound pictured at shelter in 2011.

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Beef Teef @beefteef.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

I also have spent over 25 hours singing the 10-minute version of “All Too Well”…

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 04/12/2024

ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, CRAFTERS and others: Today is your day at the Whatever Holiday Gift Guide to tell folks about the work you have for sale for the holidays! Share your work and links for sale. Follow the link below for details, and to drop a post! whatever.scalzi.com/2024/12/04/t...

The graphic for the 2024 Whatever Holiday Gift Guide. Today it's orange!

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Beef Teef @beefteef.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

I don’t like to use this platform to brag, but I am reliably informed that I have appeared in 12 LinkedIn searches this week…. #crushingit

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Beef Teef @beefteef.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

According to numerous emails, in a few scant hours, every retail store is going to stop selling goods and services forever. I have to move fast…

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 02/12/2024

TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED AUTHORS: Today is your day at the 2024 Whatever Holiday Gift Guide! Tell the site's readers about what books you have available that will make great gifts this holiday season! Click through the link for instructions and to post your book! whatever.scalzi.com/2024/12/02/t...

The graphic for the 2024 Whatever Holiday Gift Guide. It's purple!

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