Douglas DePodesta, in his lawsuit, says Boutros began a campaign inside the Justice Department to blame him for the Broadview Six collapse
Douglas DePodestaFormer special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago Field Office, in a complaint filed by his lawyers
DePodesta's complaint says that, to deflect attention from what it calls Boutros's own malfeasance, Boutros began a campaign inside the Justice Department to blame DePodesta for the unraveling of the Broadview Six case.
Responding to
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros falsely told his Justice Department superiors that Douglas DePodesta and his sister-in-law, defense lawyer Nancy DePodesta, conspired to destroy the Broadview Six case, and the pressure Boutros created led FBI leaders to order DePodesta to resign.
“To deflect attention from his own malfeasance, Boutros began a campaign within the Department of Justice to blame DePodesta for the unraveling of the case.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Former Chicago FBI chief Douglas DePodesta sues U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, alleging he was blamed for the Broadview Six collapse; judge orders Boutros to testify
Former FBI Chicago chief Douglas DePodesta alleges U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros falsely blamed him for the collapse of the Broadview Six prosecution, forcing him out. The same day, Judge April Perry ordered Boutros to testify about his statements to her court.
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Original text
About this source
Douglas DePodesta's 38-page complaint, filed by his lawyers in federal court in Chicago against U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros (in his official and personal capacities), FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche, the FBI and the Justice Department. It states DePodesta's allegations, which the defendants have not yet answered in court.
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The complaint says the Broadview Six case disintegrated because of improprieties by federal prosecutors, including Boutros himself, before the grand jury and the court, and that its dismissal brought extraordinary adverse publicity to Boutros's office.
After the quotation
The complaint goes on to say that Boutros repeatedly told his superiors in Washington that DePodesta was responsible for the case's disintegration, knowing that was untrue, and that DePodesta's FBI superiors later told him the political pressure was irresistible and ordered him to resign.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Andrew Boutros's conduct in the Broadview Six prosecution and its aftermath, including his office's accounts of it to the court and DePodesta's allegation that Boutros blamed him for the case's collapse. DePodesta's complaint accuses Boutros of shifting the blame for the case's collapse onto him to deflect from his own conduct, a direct criticism of that conduct.
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- Andrew Boutros
More from this case
Read the full caseJudge April Perry calls Boutros's statements to the court about the grand jury transcript hard to credit
“The idea that USA Boutros would have made such a significant decision without reviewing the best evidence available to him about what went wrong in the grand jury is nearly unfathomable.”Read statement
Nancy DePodesta says, in her view, Douglas DePodesta was forced out based on what appear to be utterly false rumors spread by the U.S. attorney
“It is both heartbreaking and shameful that he was forced out of his position based on what appear to be utterly false rumors spread by the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois”Read statement
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois tells the court that, apart from local FBI investigators, it had no outside communications about Broadview Six charging decisions
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois
“Considerations such as defendants' political affiliations, activities, views, or positions were not considered in any way as part of the investigation or charging decisions. Accordingly, there are no communications of any nature from, to, or with anyone outside the USAO (other than the local FBI investigators assigned to the case) regarding any investigatory or charging decisions.”Read statement
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- Douglas DePodesta, in his lawsuit, says Boutros began a campaign inside the Justice Department to blame him for the Broadview Six collapse
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The Dispute Index. "Douglas DePodesta, in his lawsuit, says Boutros began a campaign inside the Justice Department to blame him for the Broadview Six collapse". First published: 2026-11-03. Last updated: 2026-11-03. https://disputeindex.com/events/7828-depodesta-s-complaint-says-that-to-deflect-attention