179 charged in "Operation New Dawn" anti-violence initiative, Chicago top federal prosecutor announces
Chicago's top federal prosecutor announced 179 people have been charged in 140 newly filed criminal cases as the result of an intensive two-month operation coordinated across 11 federal agencies.
U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois Andrew Boutros announced the results of "Operation New Dawn" Thursday morning. Lasting about 60 days, the operation's mission was focused "exclusively on disrupting violence in the Chicago and Rockford areas," his office said in a press release.
Boutros said that as a result of the operation, on top of the 140 new criminal cases, 305 fugitives were taken into custody, and 24 missing children – many of whom Boutros said were kidnapped –were found and returned home safely.
Hundreds of people are now charged in robberies, kidnappings, firearms trafficking and other violent crimes. Boutros described it as a new approach to federal crimefighting in the Chicago area, with agencies operating under "the United States flag and not the shield, badge, banner, or logo of any agency."
The operation was carried out through the cooperation of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, the IRS Criminal Investigation division, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Boutros also thanked the Chicago Police Department for "strong, sustained support and assistance" through "Operation New Dawn." But he said he has an issue with Cook County judges.
"What you see are people who are violent offenders, repeat violent offenders that the Cook County judges decide to release on pre-trial conditions," he said.
The announcement came at a time when Boutros and his office are under intense scrutiny in the wake of grand jury misconduct in the "Broadview Six" case. Yesterday, Boutros said his office will review more than 1,000 criminal cases dating back to 2007 after revelations about conduct from federal prosecutors with grand juries, with the potential for overturned convictions and dropped charges.
Already, 10 defendants in three cases have seen charges dropped so far and it's unclear how many more cases could be dropped moving forward.
The announcement of the "Operation New Dawn" arrests also came just after FBI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Doug DePodesta announced his last day with the FBI will be Monday, saying it was a decision that came from above him.
DePodesta's departure was announced the same day Boutros met with U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche in Washington, D.C. CBS News Chicago asked him if he initiated DePodesta's departure.
"Doug and I were supposed to get lunch on July 7th. So news of his departure was news to me," he said.
Boutros said he, DePodesta and CPD Supt. Larry Snelling, who announced Wednesday he is retiring from the force in mid-July, worked very closely during Operation Midway Blitz last year.
"We did a lot to descalate the situation and there's a reason why Operation Midway Blitz, which I don't want to really make this about, but the reason why in Chicago it didn't turn into what happened, frankly, in a place like Minnesota and it was because of all the close work behind the scenes," Boutros said.
