MILWAUKEE — The man at the center of the arrest of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan pleaded not guilty to returning to the U.S. illegally after prosecutors say he was deported in 2013.
A federal indictment documented details of the charge against Flores-Ruiz.
It alleges that Flores-Ruiz was found in Milwaukee County on March 28, 2025, without having obtained proper authorization for re-entry, and that he was ordered removed and removed from the U.S. to Mexico on or about January 16, 2013.
Flores-Ruiz was separately charged in Milwaukee County with battery and domestic abuse during an argument with his roommates, according to a criminal complaint. That run-in with law enforcement is how federal prosecutors learned he was in the country undocumented.
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The 30-year-old was in court on April 18 for those charges when he was taken into custody by federal agents. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested a week later, on Friday, April 25, by the FBI for allegedly assisting him in avoiding arrest after he appeared in her courtroom.
She was charged with obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a federal department or agency.
That action sparked national attention, with some voicing their support for Dugan and protesting in the streets, while others supported her arrest. She is expected to appear in federal court on May 15.
A reserve judge, covering Dugan’s court calendar, granted the attorney Mercedes De La Rosa's motion to withdraw, citing a conflict of interest. Judge David Feiss described the circumstances as "extraordinary." Flores-Ruiz's appearance was waived Thursday since he is in federal custody.
WATCH: Man accused of re-entering the U.S. after removal pleads not guilty
"As a result of what was alleged to have occurred in the courtroom I am going to find that there is a conflict of interest that that conflict would not be waivable by Mr. Ruiz," Judge David Feiss stated. "I would highlight that among the reasons for that is that this need for new lawyer, is not based on any conduct of Mr. Ruiz."
Another attorney will be appointed as soon as possible, according to court records.
Flores-Ruiz is scheduled to return to Milwaukee County court on May 14 for a status conference.
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