A federal judge on Wednesday scheduled a hearing that could be the first to thoroughly address claims of prosecutorial misconduct before grand juries in Chicago — unless the feds wind up dropping charges in a case tied to Loretto Hospital.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman scheduled the hearing for June 17. It comes in a fraud case involving ex-Loretto Chief Financial Officer Anosh Ahmed. However, because Ahmed has yet to return to the United States to face criminal charges, it’s unlikely any ruling would apply to him.
Rather, the hearing has been triggered by a motion filed by lawyers for Ahmed’s co-defendant, Mahmood Sami Khan, who was once employed by Ahmed.
Claims of misconduct before grand juries first surfaced in the now-tainted “Broadview Six” case against a group of Operation Midway Blitz protesters. The former lead prosecutor in that case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg, also handled the Loretto prosecution.
Coleman told lawyers in Ahmed’s case Wednesday that “the court needs to have an evidentiary hearing” — and she told lawyers to be thinking about potential witnesses. That could include Mecklenburg, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros and members of his front office.
“I’m a lifelong prosecutor,” Coleman said. “Federal and state level. I know this circle. I know this sphere. And so the court wants to do right by this.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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