A judge who allegedly helped an illegal immigrant escape out the basement door of Newton District Court last spring, and the court officer accused of assisting, were charged in federal court today with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling announced the indictments against Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph and former Court Officer Wesley MacGregor. (Here is the story right from federal court…)

Judge Joseph, the indictment alleges, allowed an illegal immigrant wanted by immigration officers to leave Newton District Court without being detained for possible deportation.

“I’m not gonna allow them to come in here,” the judge is alleged to have told the man’s defense attorney. She was basically keeping an ICE officer on the outside of the courtroom

She added: “But he’s been released on this,” court documents state.

The judge, federal prosecutors allege, allowed Jose Medina-Perez to walk after being arrested by Newton police on drug charges last April. He was also wanted for drunken driving out of Pennsylvania and ICE had a detainer on him. He was picked up by ICE officials a few weeks after being let out the back door in Newton.

An ICE official said today the illegal immigrant’s real name is Oscar Peguero. He was deported twice before in 2003 and 2007, the official said. He is due back in immigration court in Boston in July, where he faces being deported again. He has been out on bond since being picked up, the official added.

MacGregor, the court officer that day in the Newton court, allowed the suspect to bolt out a back door, the feds state.

“… Defendant MACGREGOR used his security access card to open the rear sally-port exit and released A.S. out the backdoor at approximately 3:01 p.m,” the indictment states.

Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE’s Boston field office, said the judge’s alleged actions were “highly offensive.”

“The actions of the judge in this incident are a detriment to the rule of law and highly offensive to the law enforcement officers of ICE who swear an oath to uphold our nation’s immigration laws,” said Lyons. “In order for our criminal justice system to work fairly for all people, it must be protected against judicial officials who would seek to replace the implementation of our laws with their own ideological views or politically-driven agenda.”

District Court Judge Shelley Joseph and Court Officer Wesley MacGregor to appear at 4:15 in courtroom 1 in federal court in #Boston — U.S. Attorney MA (@DMAnews1) April 25, 2019

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