SPRINGFIELD, MA- Liberal judges continue to show why the immunity they enjoy when it comes to their decisions, especially when they do something so egregious that it defies logic, should be eliminated. The latest example comes from Springfield, Massachusetts, where a liberal judge appointed by former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, just released from custody a man facing charges of rape and kidnapping who, by the way, had previously been convicted of raping an elderly nursing home patient.
Despite pleas from the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office to keep him in jail, Mihail Lujan, a Moldavian national, was released on a $5,000 bond by Judge Bethzaida Sanabria-Vega despite prosecutors submitting 18 exhibits during an October 6, 2026, dangerousness hearing seeking to keep Lujan in jail under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 276, Section 58A. They also sought to revoke Lujan’s bail in the earlier case. The defense produced no exhibits.
It also appears that Lujan is an illegal alien, but due to Massachusetts sanctuary laws, he has not been turned over to immigration authorities.
In a statement released by District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni, he expressed his “dismay and serious concern” over the decision by Sanabria-Vega, although he did not call her out by name in his statement. Sources tell Law Enforcement Today the judge is a former immigration defense attorney in Springfield.
“This decision is deeply disturbing and represents the court’s failure to center public safety and the rights of victims. This case involves a defendant facing horrific allegations of rape and kidnapping who was previously convicted of sexually assaulting an elderly, defenseless nursing home patient,” Gulluni said. “That conviction was overturned on a technical legal change, not because a court determined that the underlying assault did not occur.
“Our prosecutors pursued every available legal avenue to keep this defendant detained. We presented substantial evidence, including 18 exhibits, demonstrating why we believed his release would pose an unacceptable risk to the community. Nevertheless, the court denied our request.
“The consequences of decisions like this extend far beyond the courtroom. Victims of sexual violence deserve to know that when they have the courage to come forward, their safety and the safety of others will be treated with the utmost seriousness. Our community deserves that same assurance.”
According to the DA’s office, Lujan, 40, a West Springfield resident, “was convicted in 2013 in connection with the sexual assault of an elderly, non-mobile, and non-verbal patient suffering from dementia at a nursing home where he worked as a janitor.”
“We respect the independence of the judiciary, but that does not mean we will remain silent when a decision raises such profound concerns about public safety. I strongly disagree with this outcome, and I believe the public deserves to understand why. Our office will continue to pursue these cases aggressively, stand with victims, and do everything within our authority to protect the people of Hampden County.”
Lujan was sentenced to 10- to 12 years in prison, however his conviction was overturned in December 2025 due to “a technical change in the law regarding the use of substitute expert testimony.” The case was remanded back to the trial court, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts continues pursuing that case.
The new case involves allegations that Lujan sexually assaulted a homeless woman in a room at the River Inn Motel in West Springfield on July 16, the Boston Herald reported. That led to the DA’s office seeking Lujan’s pretrial detention and bail revocation on the 2013 case.
Sanabria-Vega has also managed to anger animal rights advocates with her sentencing decisions. According to In Defense of Animals, in 2024, a man who, along with an accomplice, crashed a party in the greater Springfield town of Westfield and proceeded to torture and kill a domestic pet rabbit. They grabbed the animal by the ears, slammed it into the ground, and then threw it off a porch and into a parking lot, laughing and saying, “We just committed a murder.”
On September 17, 2025, Alexey Dimoglo accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to two years of probation by Sanabria-Vega instead of the up to 14 years in prison he could have served and $10,000 he could have been fined.
In Defense of Animals circulated a petition which gained 15,000 signatures asking for the maximum sentence for Dimoglo and his partner in crime, Gabriel Nava. The organization sought petitioners to file a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Judge Sanabria-Vega has no concern for victims, be they human or animal.
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