More than a hundred former Chicago federal prosecutors released a letter Monday saying actions taken by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros and other leaders have “tarnished the reputation of the United States Attorney’s Office.”
The group, which includes former U.S. Attorney Scott Lassar and onetime acting U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro, also said it is concerned that “once-forbidden political considerations are infecting prosecutorial decisions,” and called on Boutros — who was nominated for the top post by President Donald Trump last year — to “stand above and apart from political fealty.”
The letter cites an ongoing exodus of leadership from the office, as well as grand jury “irregularities” and “breaches of trust” with judges that have arisen out of Operation Midway Blitz as evidence of “a failure of leadership in the office we deeply respect.”
The letter does not call for Boutros to resign.
“For decades, our former office earned a reputation for winning significant cases while playing by the rules. We hope that the next few months will provide an opportunity to begin an effort to restore this reputation,” stated the letter, signed by 111 former members of the office. “That, however, will require candor from (Boutros); the courage to stand above and apart from political fealty; and a willingness to address the failures that have occurred. It will require action, not mere words.”
Hours later, Boutros put out a lengthy written response defending the cases he’s brought and touting what he described as an ongoing turnaround of a moribund office that had cratering productivity in the years before he took over.
“In every metric, we’ve vigorously brought the full weight of this Office and the federal government against dangerous criminals and serious fraudsters who previously got a pass,” Boutros said. “That’s because irrespective of factionalism, tribalism, or politics, the duty of a prosecutor is to charge good cases against worthy targets and to bring enough cases to discourage the public from committing crimes and to incapacitate specific offenders from re-offending.”
Boutros’ statement made no mention of the Broadview Six controversy.
The back-and-forth comes days after acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former private attorney for Trump who’s been nominated by the president for the permanent attorney general position, came to Boutros’ defense in a lengthy social media post that praised him for “steadfastly” advancing the White House’s mission to make the city “safe for the American people.”
“This department fully supports U.S. Attorney Boutros and his efforts to combat violent crime, drug trafficking, immigration violations, and fraud, and we look forward to more great work from his office,” Blanche said Thursday in a statement posted on X.
Blanche said Boutros has increased indictments by 34% over the prior administration in 2025, and by 61% so far this year, although he did not give details. He specifically mentioned cases against the Sinaloa cartel and weapons charges against a man accused of killing 18-year-old Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman.
Boutros responded by quote-posting Blanche’s statement, saying he was “deeply appreciative that Acting Attorney General Blanche would personally come out with his vigorous statement of support of me on the same day” Blanche was nominated by Trump to be the permanent attorney general.
Boutros also thanked those who “stood by me when others capitalized on the opportunity to attempt to destabilize” the U.S. attorney’s office and “wreak discord among our once-united AUSA and law enforcement community under the guise that they love or even really care about this incredible and storied office.”
Meanwhile, a growing list of Democratic politicians have called for Boutros to step down, including both U.S. senators from Illinois, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, who said last week that his office has been “riddled with chaos, deep internal dysfunction, and alleged misconduct.”
Others who have called for Boutros to step down include former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot; Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who is running for Congress; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who is running for U.S. Senate; and U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Mike Quigley and Jesús “Chuy” García.
Boutros has been at the center of a rapidly intensifying scandal that is virtually unprecedented for Chicago’s vaunted U.S. attorney’s office, long regarded as one of the country’s most professional prosecutorial offices.
It started when the politically charged Broadview Six case against Operation Midway Blitz protesters collapsed two weeks ago in dramatic fashion, with U.S. District Judge April Perry describing “shocking” misconduct before the grand jury and Boutros himself appearing before Perry to apologize and dismiss the charges on the eve of trial.
After that case unraveled, Boutros came under national scrutiny when it was revealed his office is leading a criminal investigation into a Chicago-based nonprofit that partially funded legal fees for E. Jean Carroll, the magazine columnist who successfully sued Trump for sexual assault and defamation.
As the scandal has widened, morale within the already-beleaguered U.S. attorney’s office has gone into free fall. Several prosecutors who played a role in the Broadview Six case have hired attorneys amid potential claims of vindictive prosecution and cover-up.
Attorneys representing the former Broadview Six defendants filed a motion last week asking a judge to award payment of the attorney fees they incurred to fight the case.
More Top Picks Best Light Therapy Lamps For Seasonal Depression
The full transcripts of the grand jury sessions in the case are expected to be made public this week, giving a rare look into a normally secretive process and detailing the exact misbehavior previously outlined by the judge.
In their letter Monday, the former prosecutors called out Boutros for “improperly” proclaiming in court on the day the Broadview charges were dismissed that he still believed in the bringing of the case.
They also said it was “troubling” that Boutros sent an officewide email later that day — first reported by the Tribune — praising the prosecutors involved in the Broadview case.
“By portraying the episode as a courageous effort by individual prosecutors, himself, and top supervisors, and by reaffirming his personal belief that a crime was committed, it sent an entirely wrong message to impressionable and inexperienced AUSAs,” the letter stated.
Boutros said in response he’s “spent the last year righting the ship” through significant policy changes and a hiring spree “that remains robust and ongoing.”
“We’ve unleashed energy and talent that once was suppressed, stifled, and stymied,” Boutros said. “… My work is far from over and no matter what anyone says, today’s U.S. Attorney’s Office is a strong beacon of light and hope for this city.”
Meanwhile, the fallout continued elsewhere Monday as attorneys for a Riverwoods man imprisoned on a fraud conviction asked for grand jury transcripts in that case, which involved the same federal prosecutor as the Broadview Six indictment.
Attorney Christopher Parente, who represents Yale Schiff, wrote that because the same prosecutor was involved, “there exists a credible basis to believe that similar misconduct may have occurred here.”
“If the grand jury proceedings were tainted by misconduct that substantially
influenced the decision to indict, or if grave misconduct undermined the fundamental fairness of the proceedings, Mr. Schiff would be entitled to post-conviction relief,” wrote Parente, who also represents Oak Park Village Trustee Brian Straw in the Broadview Six case.
Prosecutors oppose turning over the grand jury materials in Schiff’s case, court records show.
Schiff, 51, is serving a three-year sentence for bank fraud in a multimillion-dollar mortgage and vehicle loan fraud scheme.
The investigation focused on Schiff’s business partner, David Izsak, who used forged documents to finance the purchase of a 58-foot party yacht known as the “Flying Lady,” a onetime fixture in Chicago’s summer boating scene adorned with a pink stripper pole attached to the afterdeck.
Iszak was sentenced last year to five years in prison.