Federal charges against Straw, rest of 'Broadview 6,' dismissed with prejudice
Source: Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, IL
Update: Criminal case dismissed
The remaining criminal charges against Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw and his “Broadview 6” protest co-defendants have been dismissed with prejudice just days before their trial was set to begin.
The government moved to drop the charges after U.S. Judge April Perry ordered the U.S. Attorneys on the case and their supervisors into her courtroom for an emergency closed door conference Thursday. That order came after she reviewed unredacted transcripts of the grand jury proceedings that led to the group’s indictment last year at the request of defense attorneys, finding that several improper actions by federal prosecutors during the grand jury process had tainted the last seven months of legal fighting from the start.
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In a late turn of events days out from the start of the highly anticipated "Broadview 6" immigration protest trial, U.S. Judge April Perry is ordering prosecutors into her courtroom on Thursday for a closed door meeting.
Perry had agreed to review unredacted transcripts of the grand jury proceedings that led to the indictment of Oak Park Village Trustee Brian Straw and several other progressive Chicagoland politicians on federal conspiracy and impeding an agent charges last year. With the trial set to begin on Tuesday, May 26, Perry is ordering the U.S. Attorneys on the case and their supervisors into her courtroom to discuss what had been redacted from the original grand jury transcript.
The move comes as one of the most anticipated misdemeanor trials in the history of downtown Chicago's Dirksen Federal Courthouse draws less than a week away. While prosecutors recently agreed to dismiss with prejudice the felony conspiracy charges against Straw and the other three defendants, the trial on their remaining misdemeanor charges has been expected to last two full weeks.
(ICE agents in Broadview, Illinois. The Chicago suburb is the location of a federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing and detention center)
Here are the original Broadview 6 charged with conspiracy to impede a U.S. law enforcement officer and individual counts of impeding a U.S. law enforcement officer are:
Michael Rabbitt, 62, of Chicago (45th Ward Democratic Committeeperson in Chicago)
Katherine Marie Abughazaleh, 26, of Chicago (Progressive journalist and former 2026 candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives)
Andre Martin, 27 who was Katherine Marie Abughazaleh's campaign manager, http://archive.today/pthjB
Catherine Sharp, 29, of Chicago, a 40th Ward staffer and former candidate for county board commissioner
Brian Straw, 38, Oak Park trustee, http://archive.today/pthjB
Joselyn Walsh, 31, of Chicago, musician
Arraignments are scheduled for Nov. 5, 2025, at 3:00 p.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain
Catherine Sharp is the redhead
Read more: https://www.oakpark.com/2026/05/21/federal-charges-against-straw-rest-of-broadview-6-dismissed-with-prejudice//
Edit to add the outcome of case dismissed