Indicted Judge From Natick: Legal Fund Established

NATICK, MA — A Natick lawyer is standing behind Newton Judge and Natick resident, Shelley M. Joseph, after she was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice relating to a federal immigration investigation. Joseph is a Newton District Court Judge who is accused of helping a man set for deportation escape federal immigration agents. Joseph and court officer Wesley MacGregor pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Alan S. Fanger created the fund the day after Joseph appeared in court. As of Monday morning, the fund has raised $31,000 with a goal of $750,000. Over 200 people have contributed to the fund. Joseph was suspended without pay and Fanger wrote in the fund description that this leaves her in a position to "raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to afford a quality legal defense to federal charges that carry with them lengthy prison terms."

Fanger said in the description that the case represented "monumental prosecutorial overreach." The fund requests that all donations be made anonymously.

Joseph and MacGregor are accused of helping an undocumented man escape from Newton District Court on April 2, 2018. According to court documents, Joseph knew the ICE officer was waiting outside in the lobby to detain the man, who was facing drug charges.

Later that afternoon, the audio recording captured Joseph, the defense attorney and the ADA speaking about the defendant and the ICE detainer. According to court documents, Joseph then ordered the courtroom clerk to turn off the audio recorder — which it was for just under a minute, which is a violation of District Court rules.

According to court documents, the defense attorney asked to speak with Medina-Perez downstairs, Joseph let them and had MacGregor escort the attorney and an interpreter downstairs to the lockup and used his security access card to open the rear door and let man go at 3:01 p.m.

Fanger told the Boston Herald, "Those of us who know Shelley Joseph know that she takes her oath and her role as a judge seriously and would not violate the law. Shelley is fighting politically motivated charges and expects to be vindicated. "

In reaction to Joseph's indictment, two Democratic district attorneys plan to file an "unprecedented" lawsuit in federal court Monday that would ban U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from local courthouses.

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