A former federal prosecutor in Chicago manipulated grand jury proceedings in the Broadview Six case, and her colleagues allegedly covered it up, raising questions about systemic failures in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
The misconduct came to light after unsealed transcripts revealed that Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg convened a second grand jury after the first refused to indict.
During the proceedings, she vouched for the strength of evidence, improperly communicated with a grand juror outside the hearing, and told skeptical jurors they could leave. Several jurors walked out, and testimony had to be restarted the next day.
Despite these irregularities, the second grand jury returned an indictment. Mecklenburg left the office in February for a position with the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she helped vet federal judicial nominees.
However, her former colleagues allegedly took steps to conceal the misconduct. When defense attorneys requested grand jury transcripts, prosecutors strategically redacted them.
When the defense pushed harder, prosecutors dismissed the felony conspiracy charge and declared the transcripts moot. When a defense attorney raised concerns, prosecutors accused him of histrionic speculation.
The cover-up unraveled after the misconduct was exposed, leading to Mecklenburg's firing from her Senate post. Additional grand jury cases from the same office have come under scrutiny, suggesting the abuses were not an isolated incident.
Both Illinois senators have publicly called for U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros to resign.
In California, such misconduct would likely have been caught earlier due to stricter oversight and transparency requirements. The case highlights the importance of robust checks on prosecutorial power.