Detroit Judge and Three Others Indicted in Alleged Fraud Scheme Targeting Vulnerable Individuals

Federal prosecutors have charged a Detroit judge along with three other individuals for allegedly orchestrating a prolonged scheme to siphon funds from those unable to protect themselves.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has accused Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, a judge from Michigan’s 36th District Court, of misappropriating $70,000 from a ward’s estate to invest in a local bar. Additionally, she allegedly used funds embezzled from the same estate to cover a two-year lease on a new Ford Expedition for her personal use.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon remarked, “The black robe signifies a position of respect. This judge, along with her accomplices, is accused of violating that trust for selfish gain by targeting individuals vulnerable and under court protection.” He further described these actions as a severe breach of public trust.

Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, emphasized, “No matter one’s social standing, the law applies equally to all. These four suspects are accused of exploiting their positions to steal from our society’s most defenseless members, abusing legal powers, and profiting from those they were supposed to safeguard.”

Andrea Bradley-Baskin serves as a judge at Michigan’s 36th District Court in Detroit. (36th District Court/Google Maps)

The Attorney’s Office said Nancy Williams, 59, Avery Bradley, 72, Dwight Rashad, 69, and Bradley-Baskin, all Detroit residents, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.   

“The indictment also charges Bradley with one count of wire fraud, Bradley, Bradley-Baskin, and Rashad with several counts of money laundering, and Bradley-Baskin with a single count of making a false statement to federal law enforcement agent,” it added. 

Lawyers representing Bradley-Baskin did not immediately respond Saturday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The Attorney’s Office, citing the indictment, said “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.”

U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin “and her cronies allegedly abused” her “high honor for personal gain by preying on the needy protected by the court.” (Brian A. Jackson/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

“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,” it continued. “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,” it also said.  

Prosecutors described how in one case, Bradley, Williams, and Rashad allegedly took around $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,” they said.  

Nancy Williams, 59, Avery Bradley, 72, Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, and Dwight Rashad, 69, are all Detroit residents, prosecutors said. (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations.