Wilson Martell-LeBron, a defendant in a trial at the Boston Municipal Court, was arrested by ICE agents outside the courthouse last week. The arrest led to his case being dismissed with prejudice due to prosecutorial misconduct linked to the Annie Dookhan lab scandal. Martell-LeBron, known by officials as Juan Carlos Baez, faced past drug trafficking charges in Middlesex and Essex counties, but these were dismissed in 2017 due to the scandal involving chemist Annie Dookhan. Dookhan’s misconduct tainted thousands of cases in eastern Massachusetts, leading to the dismissal of numerous charges.
The Suffolk DA’s office expressed surprise at the detainment of Martell-LeBron by ICE, stating that they were trying to hold him accountable and did not intend for him to be removed from the trial. Special Agent Brian Sullivan was found in contempt for not appearing in court following the detainment. Martell-LeBron’s legal team is calling on ICE to respect the legal process and constitutional rights of all individuals, regardless of immigration status.
The ICE arrest of Martell-LeBron comes shortly after another incident in which Tufts graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk was taken into custody by ICE agents. Ozturk, a Fulbright Scholar from Turkey, was arrested outside her off-campus apartment in Somerville. The Department of Homeland Security stated that her arrest was related to alleged support of Hamas, but has not provided specific details. Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden will hold a press conference regarding Martell-LeBron’s detention.
Source
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image of the presented article.
