Judge Demands Discovery in ‘Broadview Six’ Case

A federal judge on Friday issued formal discovery orders related to the controversial ‘Broadview Six’ case. Judge April Perry demanded any written communications from the U.S. attorney’s office involving ‘investigatory or charging decisions’ and an email sent to U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros. This email contained an expedited transcript of grand jury proceedings.

Judge Perry’s order specified that if these communications were not in writing, the government must provide the names of the participants, the date, time, and length of any discussions, and certify if no recordings were made. If oral communications were later documented or notes were taken, those records must be produced as well. Witness testimonies may be required later after reviewing the documents. The materials are due by October 30.

This discovery request follows Perry’s announcement last week of a ‘fact-finding’ process aiming to assess whether the U.S. attorney’s office deceived her intentionally. This could lead to sanctions or even the appointment of a special prosecutor for criminal contempt charges. At an October 1 hearing, Perry noted flaws in the prosecution and inaccuracies from Boutros’ office. She stated that whether the misleading actions hid illegal conduct or was simply ’embarrassing’ is irrelevant.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros had held a press conference at Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago earlier this year. Perry made clear that responses from the U.S. attorney’s office must be ‘under oath, under penalty of perjury,’ regardless of whether live witness testimony is included. The inquiry will not cover misconduct before the grand jury as charges have been dismissed. Perry’s current focus is on any lack of transparency or material facts concealed from her by federal prosecutors.

The judge requested evidence on the truthfulness of prosecutors’ claims that there were no outside communications influencing the decision to charge the case. Perry also questions Boutros’ assertions that he was unaware of alleged misconduct before an October 9, 2025, grand jury session. This session ended in a rare ‘no bill’ vote, refusing to indict until shortly before the case collapsed in May.

Retired assistant U.S. attorney Sheri Mecklenburg alleged Boutros personally requested the grand jury transcript. However, Boutros filed in August claiming he never read the transcript, even though he received it on October 14. Perry has requested not only this email but any replies or forwards of it. The complete email chain and associated metadata must also be provided.

Perry’s inquiry places Chicago’s federal law enforcement office in a delicate position, intensifying a scandal that erupted four months ago. The scandal began when Boutros dropped charges against six Operation Midway Blitz protesters amid allegations of misconduct. Perry emphasized the responsibility of federal prosecutors by quoting Spider-Man: ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ and highlighted that sometimes covering up is worse than the crime itself. She stressed the importance of truthfulness and warned that any attempt to deceive the court should be penalized.

Perry stated that the errors and inaccuracies materially impacted the case, affecting both the prosecution’s length and defendants’ lives. Attorneys for the Broadview Six argue the indictment was politically motivated, pressured by President Trump’s administration. Boutros, appointed in March 2025 by then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, denies any political cases. Prosecutors acknowledged mistakes but have implemented corrective measures, claiming no evidence supports vindictive prosecution warranting further action.