Former Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan is heading to sentencing in June after her effort to overturn a guilty verdict for obstructing federal immigration agents was rejected this week.
Dugan was convicted in December of obstructing agents at the Milwaukee County Courthouse last year, though she was found not guilty of concealing an undocumented immigrant. She resigned shortly after the verdict, which was delivered nearly four months ago.
A pre-sentence investigation is currently underway to review Dugan's background. She faces up to five years in prison, but Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative reporter John Diedrich said it is highly unlikely she will serve time.
"This is all working off of federal sentencing guidelines. That's a number system, and it's very unlikely in a nonviolent felony like this one, white collar as it's called, with a defendant who has zero criminal history, that she would face time," Diedrich said.
Diedrich noted that Judge Lynn Adelman, who is presiding over the case, typically sentences below the guidelines.
Watch: Ex-judge heads to sentencing: Will Hannah Dugan see prison time?
During the trial, former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett testified to Dugan's character. Diedrich expects the defense team to submit similar support during sentencing through letters and comments highlighting her history as a lawyer and judge. However, he noted the defense is walking a tightrope and is unlikely to express contrition because of a planned appeal.
"Sometimes in this case, a defendant will say, I'm contrite for doing this and apologetic, and so forth. I suspect it will be different in this case because of the appeal," Diedrich said.
The case is expected to head to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, but sentencing must occur first. If Dugan is given prison time, the defense could ask to stay the sentence until the appeal is handled.
The appeal will tackle complex issues, including judicial immunity and whether immigration agents can operate inside courtrooms. The defense maintains the charges were illegal and Dugan was immune from prosecution.
"It's important to remember this is the first case of its kind to go to trial and result in a conviction, so it's blazing a trail here," Diedrich said.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
