Obstruction of justice in the United States

The Wasatch County Council is set to consider a resolution this week calling for Sheriff Jared Rigby to resign following his criminal indictment. Rigby faces charges of obstruction of justice and making a false written statement, stemming from allegations that he and former Summit County Sheriff David Edmunds tried to prevent a detective from testifying in the Kouri Richins trial.

County officials say Rigby's indictment has cut off his access to the UCJIS criminal justice database, requiring constant escort around sensitive data and hampering his ability to perform his duties. Rigby reportedly declined offers to work remotely or accept a buyout in exchange for resigning. Under Utah law, the county's options are limited, and Rigby could remain in office through the end of his term in December 2027 unless he steps down voluntarily.

Three men U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace named as "predators" in a 2025 House floor speech — financier John Douglas Osborne, her ex-fiancé Brendan Patrick Bryant, and former soccer club owner Eric Bernard Bowman — were arrested Oct. 14 in connection with the alleged 2018 sexual assault of an intoxicated woman on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. Osborne faces assault and criminal sexual conduct charges; Bryant is charged with voyeurism; Bowman is accused of voyeurism, obstructing justice and naming a sexual assault victim.

A fourth man Mace publicly branded a predator, Brian Musgrave, will not be charged. Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson wrote to the State Law Enforcement Division that "not a scintilla of evidence" supports Mace's allegations against him, warning her credibility would be undermined if called as a trial witness. Two other prosecutors who reviewed the probe similarly called her claims baseless. A federal judge dismissed Musgrave's defamation suit against Mace in August 2025, citing congressional immunity under the Westfall Act. Musgrave's attorney says Mace has never apologized.

Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby and former Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds have been criminally charged over alleged interference in the investigation of Kouri Richins, who was convicted in 2022 of murdering her husband. A grand jury indicted Rigby on Sept. 24 with second-degree felony obstruction of justice and a misdemeanor false-statement count, while Edmunds faces a third-degree felony obstruction charge. Both were booked and released the same day the charges were unsealed; the underlying indictments remain redacted pending a Nov. 4 hearing on whether to make them public.

The men are accused of failing to disclose Brady-Giglio material concerning former detective Eric Mainord, who led the Richins investigation and was later dropped as a trial witness amid misconduct allegations. Richins' attorneys argue the conduct may have undermined her fair-trial rights and have sought a new trial. Additional figures, including Park City's police chief, are reportedly under investigation, though no charges against them have been filed.

U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond has referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to the Justice Department for investigation, alleging obstruction related to a federal court hearing. According to reporting, supervisors in Krasner's office scrutinized internal conduct ahead of the June hearing, raising questions about how the office handled matters connected to a case reviewed for a possible miscarriage of justice.

Krasner, a leading figure among progressive prosecutors nationally, was first elected in 2017 with backing from criminal justice reform donors, including George Soros, and has built a reputation for challenging traditional prosecutorial practices. The referral marks a significant legal and political threat to his tenure, arriving as Philadelphia's Democratic establishment, including Mayor Cherelle Parker, navigates its relationship with his office. The outcome of any DOJ inquiry could affect Krasner's standing, his reelection prospects, and the broader progressive prosecutor movement he has come to symbolize nationally.

A federal jury has convicted Sean Alfortish, former president of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and a Thoroughbred owner and trainer, on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering, U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced. The case centered on a years-long staged-wreck scheme to defraud trucking and insurance companies. Alfortish faces a statutory maximum of 90 years in prison.

The jury deadlocked on charges tied to the murder of Cornelius Garrison III, an FBI cooperating witness, resulting in a mistrial on those counts for Alfortish and codefendant Leon Parker, who previously pleaded guilty to related fraud charges and faces up to 60 years. Alfortish was convicted of obstruction and witness tampering for offering Garrison money and relocation to take the blame, but was acquitted of separate charges alleging he paid a jail inmate to lie under oath. Alfortish had previously served prison time for misusing HBPA funds and rigging an association election.

Hillsdale County Sheriff Scott Hodshire, 59, faces two felony charges — obstruction of justice and misconduct in office — filed by the Michigan Attorney General's Office. The case stems from a Feb. 18 incident in which Hodshire allegedly disclosed confidential information about an active investigation, tipping off a theft suspect and his parents that a Williams County, Ohio, sheriff's office had a search warrant and planned to search the family's property. Testimony from Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Travis Pohl at an Aug. 31 probable cause hearing indicated phone records show Hodshire called the suspect's parents and later the suspect himself before Ohio investigators executed the warrant.

Hodshire was arraigned Sept. 2 and released on bond; each charge carries up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A probable cause conference is scheduled for Sept. 30 in Jackson. Hodshire has denied wrongdoing, saying he was assisting an out-of-state agency as a courtesy and did nothing to interfere with the investigation. First elected in 2020 and reelected in 2024, he says he intends to remain in office in full capacity, and county commissioners have voiced support, though they lack authority to remove him.