Detroit judge, 3 others, accused of embezzling $273K from vulnerable adults
A Detroit judge and three other Detroit residents are facing federal charges, accused of embezzling $273,000 from vulnerable adults.
Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin of Michigan's 36th District Court, as well as Nancy Williams, 59, Avery Bradley, 72, and Dwight Rashad, 69, all of Detroit, are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Bradley, who is an attorney and Bradley-Baskin's father, according to authorities, is also charged with one count of wire fraud. In addition, Bradley, Bradley-Baskin and Rashad are charged with multiple counts of money laundering, and Bradley-Baskin, 46, is charged with one count of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement agent.
Williams owned Guardian and Associates, an agency appointed as a fiduciary by the Wayne County Probate Court for incapacitated wards in more than 1,000 cases, authorities said.
According to federal officials, probate courts appoint guardians and conservators to manage the personal and financial affairs of adults, who are known as wards, who have been "found by the court to lack the capacity to do so themselves."
Bradley and Bradley-Baskin operated the law firm Guardian and Associates in Wayne County Probate Court, according to authorities, and practiced regularly in that court. Rashad ran several group homes and residential facilities for older people, including wards in need of support and care, prosecutors said.
U.S. attorneys accuse the four of conspiring to "systematically embezzle funds from wards, and to obtain and retain money for themselves that rightly belonged to the wards and the wards' estates."
Prosecutors say Bradley-Baskin used $70,000 in a ward's funds to buy an ownership stake in a bar. She is also accused of using money embezzled from a ward's estate to purchase a two-year lease on a new Ford Expedition for herself.
Bradley, Rashad and Williams are accused by federal officials of taking $203,000 in funds from a ward's legal settlement. Williams is also accused by prosecutors of paying Rashad rent for wards who did not live in a home owned by Rashad.
All four were arraigned in federal court in Detroit on Friday afternoon. Bradley-Baskin has been removed from her docket.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, 36th District Court Chief Judge William McConico said:
"Judge Andrea Bradley Baskin has been administratively removed from her docket following her federal indictment, a step approved by the State Court Administrative Office. She maintains the presumption of innocence and the right to due process. This action is taken to uphold public confidence in the judiciary during this period. The ultimate authority to suspend a judge lies solely with the Michigan Supreme Court."
According to the court's website, Bradley-Baskin has served the 36th District Court since 2023 and was previously the General Counsel before being elected to her judicial seat in 2024.
"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 Jerome Gorgon in a statement.
