BLACK ROBE CORRUPTION: Michigan Judge and Three Co-Conspirators Accused of Looting Hundreds of Thousands from Incapacitated
Another bombshell indictment has ripped the mask off America’s so-called “justice system,” and this time the rot allegedly runs straight through the black robe.
Federal prosecutors have charged four Detroit-area insiders, including a sitting Michigan judge, in what authorities describe as a years-long scheme to loot incapacitated individuals and their estates, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from people the court was supposed to protect.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the defendants are:
- Nancy Williams, 59
- Attorney Avery Bradley, 72
- Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46
- Dwight Rashad, 69
Bradley-Baskin is the daughter of Avery Bradley and currently serves as a judge on Michigan’s 36th District Court.
All four were charged by federal indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors also charged Bradley with wire fraud, Bradley, Bradley-Baskin, and Rashad with multiple counts of money laundering, and Bradley-Baskin with making a false statement to federal investigators.
The indictment lays out jaw-dropping examples of alleged abuse:
- $70,000 in ward funds allegedly used by Bradley-Baskin to buy an ownership stake in a local bar
- $203,000 from a ward’s legal settlement allegedly split between Bradley, Williams, and Rashad — without a single dollar benefiting the ward
- Williams allegedly paid Rashad rent for wards who never lived in his facilities
- Bradley-Baskin allegedly used embezzled estate funds to lease a new Ford Expedition for two years
DOJ said in the press release:
According to the indictment, probate courts regularly appoint guardians and conservators to manage the personal and financial affairs of adults, known as wards, who have been found by the court to lack the capacity to do so themselves.
Guardians and conservators are fiduciaries who are obligated to act in the best interests of their wards.
The indictment alleges that Nancy Williams owned Guardian and Associates, an agency that was appointed as a fiduciary by the Wayne County Probate Court for incapacitated wards in over 1,000 cases.
Avery Bradley is an attorney, who, along with his daughter (and fellow attorney) Andrea Bradley-Baskin, operated a law firm that often represented Guardian and Associates in Wayne County Probate Court and otherwise practiced regularly in that court.
Bradley-Baskin is currently a district judge on Michigan’s 36th District Court. Dwight Rashad operated a series of group homes and residential facilities for elderly individuals, including wards, who needed support and care.
The indictment alleges that the four defendants conspired to systematically embezzle funds from wards, and to obtain and retain money for themselves that rightly belonged to the wards and the wards’estates.
The indictment sets forth numerous examples of the co-conspirators working together to misappropriate money belonging to wards. In one instance, Bradley-Baskin is alleged to have used $70,000 in a ward’s funds to purchase an ownership stake in a local bar.
In another, Bradley, Williams, and Rashad are alleged to have taken for themselves some $203,000 in funds from a ward’s legal settlement, with none of the money being used to benefit the ward.
Williams is alleged to have paid Rashad rent for wards who did not live in one of Rashad’s homes. Bradley-Baskin, in yet another case, is alleged to have used money embezzled from the estate of a ward to pay a two-year lease on a new Ford Expedition for herself.
“We respect the authority that covers a black robe. This state judge and her cronies allegedly abused that high honor for personal gain by preying on the needy protected by the court. This would be a grievous abuse of our public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Gorgon.
“Regardless of a person’s position in society, no one is above the law. These four defendants allegedly conspired to steal from some of our most vulnerable citizens — looting bank accounts, exploiting legal authority, and profiting off those who relied on them for care and protection,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.
“Let me be clear: if you prey on the vulnerable, we will find you and bring you to justice. Finally, I want to recognize our FBI Detroit Area Corruption Task Force, alongside our partners at the IRS Criminal Investigations Detroit Field Office, for their dedicated work on behalf of these victims, as well as the Wayne County Probate Court for bringing this matter to our attention and assisting the investigation.”
“No matter who you are, or what your position is, it is entirely unacceptable to help yourself to money that is not yours. What makes these allegations so disturbing is that the victims are part of very vulnerable population and trusted the accused to act in their best interest,” said Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation.
“IRS-CI is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to protect the financial well-being of the vulnerable and root out those who threaten their security.”
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