Has judge Caldwell filed criminal charges re witness tampering
Executive summary
There is no evidence in the provided reporting that a person named “Judge Caldwell” has filed criminal charges for witness tampering; the name Caldwell in the key, recent federal matters refers to Thomas Caldwell, a defendant convicted of obstruction and related counts in Jan. 6 cases, not a judge bringing charges [1] [2] [3]. Online forum claims that a “Judge Caldwell” arrested defense counsel after a leaked tape are unverified and appear to be rumor or misinformation, not substantiated in mainstream reporting or court records provided here [4].
1. Who “Caldwell” is in the federal Jan. 6 reporting — defendant, not charging judge
Multiple court filings and news reports identify Thomas (or Tom) Caldwell as a defendant in the Jan. 6 prosecutions who was indicted, tried, and whose obstruction-related convictions were upheld by a federal judge — the materials show Caldwell was charged by prosecutors, not that he acted in a judicial capacity to file charges [5] [6] [1]. Major news coverage and court memoranda consistently describe Caldwell as a member or associate of the Oath Keepers who faced charges including obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents or proceedings [1] [2] [3].
2. The specific allegations and who brought them — prosecutors, grand jury, not a Judge Caldwell
The public record cited here explains that Caldwell was the subject of an indictment returned by a grand jury and prosecuted under federal statutes such as 18 U.S.C. § 1512 and related counts; those are brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and grand juries, not by a judge filing criminal charges [5] [6]. Judicial opinions referenced in the record discuss whether the convictions should stand, including motions to dismiss and rulings by other judges (for example, Judge Amit Mehta upholding a guilty verdict), which again shows the judiciary adjudicates charges brought by prosecutors rather than initiating criminal charges itself [1] [3].
3. The viral claim that “Judge Caldwell” arrested defense counsel after a leaked tape — source and credibility
A forum thread claims “Judge Caldwell” arrested defense attorneys and tied the development to a leaked “Witness 14” tape, but that post appears on a partisan message board and is not corroborated by any court transcript, press release, or reputable news outlet in the materials provided [4]. The presence of such a post demonstrates how quickly courtroom rumor can circulate online, but the available, authoritative records — court filings, mainstream press coverage, and DOJ-style documents included here — do not report a sitting judge named Caldwell initiating criminal filings or making arrests in the way the forum post alleges [5] [1] [6].
4. Historical and naming confusion that can sow misunderstandings
The reporting set includes other instances of the surname Caldwell in judicial history (a 1911 New York Times snippet referencing a Judge Caldwell presiding over a different early-20th-century trial), emphasizing how recurring names in archival or contemporary news can cause mistaken identity if readers conflate distinct people and roles [7]. The materials also include other recent, high-profile witness-tampering stories (for example, the YNW Melly matters) which are unrelated to Thomas Caldwell but show the wider media environment in which allegations of tampering frequently surface and sometimes get conflated [8] [9] [10].
5. Bottom line, limits of the available record
Based on the documents and reporting supplied, no credible source shows a Judge Caldwell filing criminal charges regarding witness tampering; instead, Thomas Caldwell appears as a defendant who faced tampering- and obstruction-related counts brought by prosecutors and a grand jury, and some online posts asserting a judge’s prosecutorial action are unverified in mainstream court records and reporting provided here [5] [1] [3] [4]. If new, verifiable court orders, press releases from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, or reliable journalistic reporting surfaced showing a judicial officer named Caldwell filing charges or making arrests, that would change the factual record — the current materials do not show that.