Former Chicago FBI boss sues Trump admin, claiming he was wrongly blamed for botched ‘Broadview 6’ affair

The former Chicago FBI boss sued top Trump administration officials Monday, alleging he resigned under duress after Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros sought to blame him for the implosion of the politically charged “Broadview Six” case.

The trial of Douglas DePodesta marks another extraordinary development in the tainted case against a group of Operation Midway Blitz protesters that created a months-long credibility crisis for Boutros.

In the lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Illinois and overseen by Boutros, DePodesta claims that President Donald Trump and other officials in Washington called for prosecution of those protesting the Midway Blitz eviction campaign last fall in the Chicago area.

In turn, Boutros initiated “politically motivated prosecutions” that “were an unprecedented disaster” for his office, the lawsuit says. Boutros categorically denied that politics played any role in charging decisions.

When charges against the “Broadview Six” were dropped amid revelations of apparent prosecutorial misconduct, “Boutros launched a campaign within the Justice Department to blame DePodesta for breaking the case.” Boutros’ complaints to his superiors in Washington ultimately led to DePodesta’s ouster, according to the lawsuit.

The FBI, Justice Department, Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel are named as defendants in the lawsuit alongside Boutros, who is named in his personal and professional capacities.

“The American people need to know what’s going on in their government,” said DePodesta, a former Chicago speaker. FBI special agent in charge, told the Sun-Times in an interview.

DePodesta acknowledged the lawsuit would likely put a target on his back. But, he insisted, “I will not let fear silence me.”

“I was forced out of my job,” DePodesta said. “I was ordered to quit my job.”

DePodesta filed the lawsuit four months after announcing his sudden and unexpected departure from the FBI. This came weeks after the “Broadview Six” scandal rocked the Dirksen federal courthouse.

This news opens a new legal front in the “Broadview Six” scandal, which broke on Friday. attracted the third-highest official in the Justice Department. DePodesta’s lawsuit also highlights a potential division within Chicago’s federal law enforcement community, which has long touted the value of partnerships.

Boutros and DePodesta share credit for filing high-profile criminal charges as recently as early July. Boutros is considered the top federal law enforcement official in the region, and DePodesta led one of the Justice Department’s most important agencies there.

They will now become legal adversaries, in a trial that is sure to attract national attention. The lawsuit seeks reinstatement for DePodesta, back pay, compensatory damages and attorney’s fees. He also wants declarations that the defendants violated his rights and the procedures for terminating an employee.

If a judge lets DePodesta’s trial move forward, it could also lead to new revelations about what happened behind the scenes during the doomed trial of the “Broadview Six.”

All of this comes as controversy continues to swirl within the Justice Department. DePodesta’s lawyer, former federal prosecutor Ron Safer, also represents Bradley Benavides, one of the two former FBI officials charge last month for making false statements to Congress in another politically charged case.

DePodesta, a 24-year veteran of the FBI, recently spoke with the Sun-Times about the end of his career in law enforcement and how he views the role of the FBI – under any presidential administration.

DePodesta directed the FBI Chicago Field Office for almost two years, starting in August 2024. He left the country on July 6, six weeks after the spectacular collapse of the “Broadview Six” case. Boutros found himself facing a credibility crisis, with judges questioning whether they could trust his team.

Even now, U.S. District Judge April Perry plans to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Boutros and others for criminal contempt. She recently asked a lawyer from Boutros’ office if a member of his team would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination – and he didn’t rule it out.

The “Broadview Six” case revolved around a protest outside an immigration detention center in west suburban Broadview. in September 2025, at the height of Operation Midway Blitz. Prosecutors alleged a crowd pushed and damaged a federal agent’s SUV.

But among this crowd, only six people were charged with conspire to prevent the agent, a crime punishable by up to six years in prison. Most of the defendants were involved in local Democratic politics, raising questions about selective prosecution.

The affair collapsed May 21 after Perry uncovers allegations of prosecutorial misconduct in grand jury transcripts what she said left her “incredibly shocked”.

The spotlight turned to one prosecutor in particular, Sheri. Mecklenburg. But Boutros couldn’t escape questions about the role he and others played in the affair. By the time of DePodesta’s unexpected departure, Boutros had already endured weeks of bad headlines.

DePodesta denied to the Sun-Times that he had improperly zeroed in on the scope of the lawsuits. He also rejected the idea that family ties created a conflict of interest.

DePodesta sister in law is a defense attorney who represents Michael Rabbitt, member of the “Broadview Six”.

She is a former federal prosecutor who has represented individuals in other cases brought by the FBI, DePodesta noted. And it’s not uncommon for lawyers — even judges — to have past relationships with each other.

“There are many relationships like mine and his within this community,” DePodesta said.

Meanwhile, DePodesta said the FBI in Chicago “did a very, very good job enforcing immigration law” during the second Trump administration. He did it, he said, “because it was legal.” He said he even checked with lawyers to make sure.

“When things are legal and it fits the administration’s strategy, we agree 100 percent,” DePodesta said.

“The problem,” he added, “is when it deviates from the law and the Constitution.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

In his farewell message to “FBI Chicago,” DePodesta emphasized that “despite other rhetoric or branding tactics, the FBI’s mission remains unchanged: to uphold the United States Constitution and protect the American people.”

DePodesta said he learned through a phone call, “completely out of the blue,” that he would have to leave his job in Chicago. The news came from a senior official, he said. But the top brass also made it clear to him that the decision was “not based on performance.”

Still, DePodesta said, “it was horrible.”

“I’ve described it before as kind of like a death, actually,” DePodesta told the Sun-Times. “It was part of me. … My profession was what I was.”

DePodesta said he is now the director of business development for a startup. But he said he had also applied for security jobs and had “had a lot of trouble finding a job.”

“One would reasonably believe that there was a reason for that, right? » said DePodesta. “Because of the way I was publicly kicked out. »

He does not rule out one day rejoining the police. He acknowledged his trial would bring him back into the spotlight. But, he said, “I really want people to know what happened.”

“I hope others will speak out about what is happening within this government. » » said DePodesta.