Prosecutors Charge Mass. Judge, Ex-Court Officer With Obstruction, Saying Pair Helped Man Evade ICE

U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling is charging a trial court judge and a former court officer with obstruction of justice.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred last April, when the pair allegedly helped a man slip out the back door of a Newton courthouse to avoid detention by federal immigration authorities.

Middlesex County Judge Shelley M. Richmond and now-retired court officer Wesley MacGregor are facing three obstruction charges, including conspiracy, aiding and abetting and obstruction of a federal proceeding.

Joseph has been suspended without pay, effective immediately, by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Shannon Dooling, WBUR reporter. She tweets @sdooling.

Nancy Gertner, retired federal judge, senior lecturer at Harvard Law School, WBUR legal analyst. She tweets @ngertner.