Ex-FBI leader in Chicago sues DOJ, Blanche, Patel over ‘politically motivated’ Broadview Six case

Former Chicago FBI chief Douglas DePodesta sued President Trump and other top administration officials, alleging he was forced to resign after a federal prosecutor sought to blame him for the collapse of a controversial case against six protesters opposing the federal immigration crackdown.

DePodesta, who led the FBI’s Chicago field office for nearly two years, accused U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros of orchestrating his removal after bringing “politically motivated prosecutions” that “were an unprecedented disaster” for his office to deflect scrutiny from the failed prosecution of the “Broadview Six,” according to the complaint filed in the Northern District of Illinois.

The lawsuit alleges that Boutros brought politically motivated charges against protesters during Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration operation in the Chicago area last year.

After the case unraveled amid allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, the charges were dropped against the remaining defendants, as it was revealed that the grand jury was tainted during proceedings.

While several Illinois lawmakers called for Boutros’s resignation following the blowback, Boutros allegedly pressured senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials in Washington to hold DePodesta responsible, ultimately leading to his ouster.

“I was forced to leave my job,” DePodesta told the Chicago Sun-Times in an interview published Monday. “I was ordered to leave my job.”

The lawsuit names Boutros, Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, the Justice Department and the FBI as defendants. DePodesta is seeking reinstatement, back pay, compensatory damages and attorney’s fees.

The legal challenge marks the latest fallout from the Broadview Six prosecution, which drew months of scrutiny over allegations of misconduct and political interference within the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago.

The case stemmed from a Sept. 26, 2025, protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in suburban Broadview, Ill., where more than 100 demonstrators gathered to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Prosecutors accused six protesters of conspiring to impede a federal officer after a crowd allegedly surrounded and damaged an ICE officer’s vehicle.

Among those charged was former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, who ran for a House seat in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District but lost the Democratic primary to former Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss.