Detroit Judge and Three Others Indicted in Alleged Scheme to Steal From Incapacitated Wards

Federal prosecutors have charged a Detroit district judge and three local residents in an alleged, years-long conspiracy to embezzle funds from incapacitated and otherwise vulnerable adults placed under court guardianship.

Andrea Bradley-Baskin, left, is a judge at Michigan’s 36th District Court in Detroit.(Fox News)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan identified the judge as Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, a judge on Michigan’s 36th District Court. According to the indictment, Bradley-Baskin is alleged to have used roughly $70,000 from a ward’s funds to purchase an ownership interest in a neighborhood bar and to have used money from a ward’s estate to pay for a two-year lease on a Ford Expedition for her personal use.

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."

Charges and Allegations

Federal filings name three other defendants: Nancy Williams, 59; Avery Bradley, 72; and Dwight Rashad, 69, all residents of Detroit. The four are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The indictment also alleges the following counts:

Nancy Williams, 59, Avery Bradley, 72, Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, and Dwight Rashad, 69, are all Detroit residents, prosecutors said.

• Avery Bradley: one count of wire fraud;
• Andrea Bradley-Baskin, Avery Bradley, and Dwight Rashad: multiple counts of money laundering;
• Andrea Bradley-Baskin: one count of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement agent.

How The Scheme Is Alleged To Have Worked

Prosecutors say probate courts routinely appoint guardians and conservators to manage the personal and financial affairs of adults—known as wards—who cannot manage their own affairs. The indictment alleges that:

• Nancy Williams owned Guardian and Associates, an agency appointed as a fiduciary by the Wayne County Probate Court in more than 1,000 cases.
• Avery Bradley, an attorney, and his daughter Andrea Bradley-Baskin, also an attorney and a sitting judge, operated a law firm that frequently represented Guardian and Associates in probate matters.
• Dwight Rashad operated group homes and residential facilities for elderly individuals, including wards.

Investigators say the four defendants conspired to divert ward funds for personal gain. In one example cited in the indictment, prosecutors allege Bradley, Williams and Rashad took about $203,000 from a ward’s legal settlement with none of the money used to benefit the ward. The filing also alleges Williams paid Rashad rent for wards who did not actually live in Rashad’s facilities.

"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," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said. "This would be a grievous abuse of our public trust."

"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," Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigations. Lawyers for Andrea Bradley-Baskin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.