‘Abuse of Public Trust’ Detroit Judge Under Fire for Embezzling $300k for Car Lease
A jury in Detroit could turn on a judge due to embezzlement allegations. As the judge stole funds from the estates of incapacitated individuals, she lived it up. The funds were used for things like a luxury car lease, among other personal investments.
Detroit judge embezzles $300k for things like car leases
There are better ways to pay for a car lease than by embezzling funds. But Andea Bradley-Baskin, a judge on Michigan’s 36th District Court, decided to take that risk.
Allegedly, the Detroit judge stole $273,000 from the estates of incapacitated individuals. Adults who are unable to manage their own finances have their estates managed by others.
According to the NY Post, Bradley-Baskin used some of the funds to pay for a two-year lease on a Ford Expedition. These SUVs don’t exactly come cheap.
Plus, she invested $70,000 in a local bar. She probably felt high and mighty in her SUV, cruising through Detroit traffic.
She’s part of a firm appointed to manage the estates of incapacitated wards of over 1,000 cases. The firm may have swiped $203,000 from a legal settlement while the individual received nothing.
United States Attorney Jerome Gordon Jr. shares, “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.”
She and others involved face charges for conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges and multiple money laundering charges. Plus, Bradley-Baskin faces a charge for making a false statement to a federal law enforcement agent.
