Former Chicago FBI chief Douglas DePodesta sued the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the FBI and senior officials Monday, alleging political pressure on investigations and retaliation after prosecutors dropped charges in a protest case.
The complaint names Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros as defendants, along with DOJ and the bureau. DePodesta, the former special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago field office, alleges Boutros urged him to investigate critics of President Donald Trump and pressed for prosecutions connected to Operation Midway Blitz, a 2025 immigration enforcement campaign in the Chicago area.
The allegations include the case involving six people charged after a Sept. 26, 2025, protest near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, a Chicago suburb. Charges against two were dropped in March, and prosecutors dropped charges against the remaining four on May 21, 2026, after U.S. District Judge April Perry raised concerns about apparent misconduct in grand-jury proceedings.
The suit says Boutros told superiors that DePodesta and his sister-in-law, a defense attorney for one of the protesters, had conspired to undermine the case. DePodesta says he did not discuss the case with her and had no role in deciding whether to bring charges. He alleges officials forced him out after the prosecution fell apart.
Boutros has denied that politics played a role in his office’s charging decisions, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The paper reported that DePodesta’s complaint seeks reinstatement, back pay and damages, and that U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly was assigned to the case.
