Overview
- A court-appointed special counsel found that Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Bolan deliberately withheld a years‑old homicide arrest warrant before Judge Melissa DuBose ordered Bryan Rafael Gomez released.
- ICE issued a public statement calling DuBose an “activist Biden judge” who knowingly freed a violent criminal, a characterization McConnell said was flatly false and which remains on ICE’s website despite calls for its removal.
- The special counsel concluded Bolan committed a serious ethical violation but recommended against formal discipline, and Chief Judge John McConnell warned that any future misconduct will be severely sanctioned.
- Bolan apologized and said he followed guidance from ICE and was unaware the warrant had already been publicly disclosed, and officials have not yet located Gomez to re‑detain him.
- The episode raises questions about prosecutor candor, interagency coordination and judicial safety and could prompt closer oversight of how ICE and Justice Department lawyers share sensitive information.