Four private attorneys will replace the federal public defenders who have represented mistakenly deported Maryland man Kilmar Armando Abrego García since he was returned to the U.S. by court order in early June.
Following his erroneous deportation to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia faces two charges of illegally transporting migrants
Sean Hecker, Jenna Dabbs and David Patton — all of boutique New York City defense firm Hecker Fink LLP — will join Nashville attorney Rascoe Dean of Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison in the high-profile defense of Abrego García. The Department of Justice filed charges against Abrego García in May related to a 2022 traffic stop in Cookeville, Tenn. Each side sketched out its case during Abrego García’s detention hearing in Nashville last week, a matter on which federal Judge Barbara Holmes has still not ruled as of this writing.
In March, the Trump administration sent Abrego García — a Maryland resident legally in the United States under "withholding of removal" status — to a maximum-security Salvadoran prison in what it has since called “an administrative error.” Abrego García is widely considered a political prisoner for his deprivation of due process, as well as the ensuing human-smuggling charges filed two months after his deportation by the Trump justice department for a 2022 traffic stop outside of Cookeville that resulted in no legal action at the time.
Rob McGuire, acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, attempted to connect Abrego García to organized crime at last week’s six-hour hearing in downtown Nashville. Outside, protests and law enforcement surrounded the Fred D. Thompson Courthouse and Federal Building. The government’s case relies on second- and third-hand information obtained via interviews with informants who have since received legal benefits, including avoiding deportation. Abrego García pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Federal prosecutors offer no direct evidence for charges against Kilmar Armando Abrego García
Will Allensworth and Richard Tennant led Abrego García’s defense in court last week, with Dumaka Shabazz delivering a stirring closing argument for Abrego García that included an outright accusation that the Trump administration brought its indictment to justify the public embarrassment of the mistaken deportation. Richard Thomason was also listed as a defense attorney. All were federal public defenders appointed to Abrego García’s case.
On Wednesday, five days after his arraignment and detention hearing, Abrego García notified the court that he had retained new counsel to replace his public defenders. Hecker Fink specializes in defending clients against federal investigations from the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm did not return the Scene’s request for comment.
“Hecker Fink LLP is one of the most formidable, elite litigation boutiques in the country, guiding our clients through high-stakes litigation, investigations, and trials,” reads the firm's website. “Our team is comprised of highly experienced litigators, trial lawyers, and operations professionals, including twelve former federal prosecutors, two former public defenders, six former U.S. Supreme Court clerks, and dozens of attorneys with experience clerking at all levels of state and federal courts.”
Dean is a former federal prosecutor who joined SRVH from the U.S. Attorney’s Office — the same office he now will argue against — where he was the deputy criminal chief. Dean declined to comment, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
Private criminal defense attorneys charge handsomely, and according to one local lawyer, each attorney's hourly rate for this case could range from $700 to $1,500. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network, on behalf of Abrego Garcia’s wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura, raised more than $265,000 in online donations following his deportation.
Judge Holmes told the court that she planned to rule on Abrego García’s continued federal detention “sooner rather than later” last week. If released, he could be immediately detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, though Abrego García’s status prevents him from immediate legal deportation.
