Former Wisconsin Judge Avoids Jail Time for Obstructing Arrest of Illegal Immigrant

Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan will not face prison time after she was convicted of felony obstruction for helping an illegal immigrant evade federal officers.

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U.S. district Judge Lynn Adelman fined Dugan $5,000 but did not sentence her to probation or prison time. The 67-year-old former judge’s conviction carried a punishment of up to five years in prison, though prosecutors said the average sentence for obstruction cases is 16 months.

“This was a serious offense, and it warrants a correspondingly serious sentence,” acting Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling wrote ahead of the sentencing.

Dugan was convicted in December and resigned two weeks later, after nine years on the bench. Her resignation came amid threats of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers.

While Dugan was convicted of obstruction, she was found not guilty of concealing an individual to prevent arrest.

The incident occurred on April 18, 2025, when immigration officers appeared at the Milwaukee County courthouse in search of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican immigrant who had reentered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state battery case.

Dugan sent the agents away from her courtroom, instructing them to see the chief judge because she said their administrative warrant wasn’t sufficient grounds to arrest Flores-Ruiz. She then let Flores-Ruiz and his attorney sneak out through a private jury door. However, agents saw Flores-Ruiz and were able to arrest him after a foot chase, and he was ultimately deported in November.

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FBI agents arrested Dugan at the courthouse one week after the incident unfolded.

During her trial, Dugan’s attorneys argued unsuccessfully that she was immune from prosecution because of her judicial role.

Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo that Dugan violated her oath as a judge with her actions.

“Judges are entrusted with tremendous discretion, but there is a line they cannot cross,” Frohling wrote. “The defendant crossed that line.”

While prosecutors had not requested a specific sentencing, Dugan’s attorneys urged the sentencing judge to spare her from facing any jail time, arguing she had been “punished enough” after she was effectively forced to resign from her job and faced threats of violence.

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