Episode 90
Broadview Six Scandal, Part I: Inside the Grand Jury Room
Hosted by Matt Adams
“This U.S. attorney, within four hours of dismissing this indictment and hearing from a federal judge how bad the conduct was by his prosecutors, sends an all-office email to all 100-plus young federal prosecutors calling the behavior of these line prosecutors courageous and strong ... You're sending the message to your team, 'Hey, go out there, bury stuff, commit wrongdoing. I've got your back. In fact, I'm going to praise you when it's done. I don't care what this federal judge tells me.'"What happens when the very safeguards built into our justice system are tested from within? Can the institution entrusted to uphold them be trusted to hold itself accountable?
Host Matt Adams sits down with defense attorneys Nancy DePodesta and Chris Parente, both former federal prosecutors who represented two of the “Broadview Six” defendants indicted by a grand jury following a protest outside the Broadview Processing Center, a federal immigration processing facility located in a suburb of Chicago
This episode pulls back the curtain on what actually happened inside that grand jury room — including a prosecutor accused of improper contact with jurors outside the proceedings and redacted transcripts that a federal judge had to fight to see in full. It builds toward a dramatic turn: the U.S. Attorney personally appearing in court to dismiss all remaining charges with prejudice.
Nancy and Chris share how they first sensed something was wrong, the extraordinary lengths it took to get the full transcripts released, and what accountability could look like going forward, including a pending motion for an independent prosecutor. The conversation closes with hard-won lessons for defense lawyers, prosecutors, and judges navigating high-profile, emotionally charged cases.
Look for Part Two of this podcast episode, featuring a Chicago Sun-Times reporter who covered the Broadview Six case, coming soon.
The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and should not be considered the views of Fox Rothschild LLP or its attorneys. This podcast is for informational purposes only, is not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship.