Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 8, 2026, United States District Judge Lynn Adelman sentenced Hannah Dugan to pay a $5,000 fine for endeavoring to obstruct a pending proceeding before the United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”). The sentence came after a federal jury found Dugan guilty of that felony offense following a four-day trial in December 2025.
The trial evidence established the following: On April 18, 2025, six members of the DHS, Immigration Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ICE ERO”) Task Force arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. Flores-Ruiz was charged with three domestic-violence related misdemeanors and was scheduled to appear in front of then Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Dugan. Flores-Ruiz was also previously removed from the United States and was in the country illegally. The ICE ERO task force officers had a lawful administrative warrant for his arrest, which directed that he be taken into custody for immigration proceedings. The task force officers intended to arrest Flores-Ruiz in the public hallway after his hearing, communicated the same to Dugan’s courtroom deputy prior to Dugan’s arrival, and identified themselves to courthouse security. They then waited quietly and unobtrusively in the public hallway. They were wearing plain clothes and were not wearing masks.
The trial evidence further established that when Dugan learned that federal agents were in the public hallway, she left her courtroom, directed another judge to leave her robe on and accompany her to the public hallway, and confronted five federal agents most of whom were sitting on public benches. She told one agent that an administrative warrant was insufficient, initially told some of them to leave the building, and ultimately directed the five agents she identified to leave the public hallway to go to the Chief Judge’s office. After directing those agents out of the public hallway, Dugan went back into her courtroom, immediately addressed Flores-Ruiz’s case off the record, scheduled it for a later date, instructed his attorney that the next hearing can done via Zoom, and directed them to exit the courtroom through a side door that led to a non-public hallway.
Evidence at trial showed that the non-public hallway led to a door to a stairwell and a door into the public hallway. Dugan’s court reporter offered to show Flores-Ruiz and his attorney where to leave because they might go through the door that led to the public hallway, which her court reporter referred to as the “wrong door.” Dugan declined her offer and responded, “I’ll do it. I’ll get the heat.” Agents were able to ultimately arrest Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse after he fled on foot in front of moving traffic in the rain. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Adelman found that Dugan had abused a position of public trust and that the conviction in this case “affirms that no one is above the law.”
“Law enforcement officers need to be able to carry out their lawful responsibilities in the manner that is safest for them, the public and the individual they are attempting to detain,” said First Assistant U. S. Attorney Brad Schimel. “Dugan’s reckless and illegal actions interfered with that goal and created unnecessary risks for all involved. For that there needed to be serious consequences.”
“As a judge, Hannah Dugan was in a position of trust. However, on April 18, 2025, she chose to place the public and law enforcement officers in danger when she helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz evade arrest on a lawfully issued administrative warrant. While in the country illegally, Flores-Ruiz was charged with domestic violence misdemeanors which was why he was in the courthouse,” said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Alan Karr. “Law enforcement officers sought to effect an arrest in the safest manner possible. However, based on Dugan’s actions, Flores-Ruiz was able to leave the building initially evading officers and make it onto the street. Law enforcement officers—to include agents from the FBI—quickly gave chase in front of moving traffic in the rain placing themselves in harm’s way to catch Flores-Ruiz. The jury verdict and today’s sentencing reflect how Dugan endeavored to obstruct an official proceeding and betrayed the trust placed in her as a judge.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with assistance from the United States Department of Homeland Security.
