A Democrat Chicago judge has her law license revoked after stealing over $240,000 from her World War II veteran uncle, according to reports.
Patricia Martin was accused of misappropriating funds trusted to her by her Veteran uncle, Oscar Wilkerson Jr., and his power of attorney.
At the same time, her uncle, the honorable Tuskegee Airman, resided in a nursing home, CBS Chicago reported.
The former judge later had her law license stripped after allegedly using the stolen funds from her Veteran uncle to buy cryptocurrency.
Martin was disbarred on consent, according to court records filed in the records filed in the Supreme Court of Chicago.
The court’s Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission stated:
“She intentionally used for her own purposes more than $240,000 she had agreed to hold for an elderly relative who was residing in a nursing home, made false statements to the physician who held her relative’s power of attorney about the balances in his bank and investment accounts, and did not produce documents in response to an ARDC subpoena.”
Martin, a Democrat, served as a Circuit Judge for the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois for 24 years.
She retired in 2020.
Martin admitted to stealing her uncle’s life savings in June.
“On December 5, 2022, [Martin] filed an answer to the complaint in which she admitted that she had wrongfully assumed control over Mr. Wilkerson’s property,” according to the record.
“She had no authority to use his funds for any purpose other than for his benefit and that she had intentionally deprived him of funds to which he was entitled.”
Wilkerson’s friend and true power of attorney, Dr. Maceo Ellison, entrusted Martin to help manage the finances.
However, it was later found Martin had misappropriated the funds.
The Democrat Judge was trusted to look after his bank, 401k, and social security accounts.
Ellison first suspected fraud when Brookdale Senior Living, Wilkerson’s nursing home, contacted him in July 2022.
The facility accused Martin of not paying for Ilkerson’s care at the home in two months, while one of Wilkerson’s bank accounts showed “more than $41,000” was owed.
Ellison and Wilkerson hired attorney Eric Puryear to investigate and uncover the substantial missing funds.
Martin acknowledged that “the evidence would clearly and convincingly establish the facts and conclusions of misconduct,” according to records.
Wilkerson died in February this year but filed a lawsuit against Martin in September 2022.
The state legal disciplinary agency proved the judge sunk over $110,000 into cryptocurrency from her uncle’s money.
Martin was ordered to pay her uncle’s estate $1.1 million in June,
That figure was three times the amount she stole from him after continually failing to appear in court and being unresponsive to court orders.
Martin argued that she shouldn’t have to pay the money since her uncle had passed away.
“The plaintiff’s death suspends the court’s jurisdiction in this matter,” her lawyer wrote, according to CBS.
“If you can’t trust a judge, who can you trust?” Ken Rapier, a friend of Wilkerson, told the outlet.
“It really upsets me when somebody takes advantage of the Tuskegee Airmen.”
Wilkerson joined the famed civil rights aviators, the Tuskegee Airman, in 1944.
The civil rights pioneer became one of the first black military pilots to fight for the United States in World War II.
According to ABC7, he was the last known surviving member of Tuskegee Airmen in Chicago.
Wilkerson was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush. in 2007.
READ: 100% of Democrats Vote AGAINST Veteran’s Help Bill, More Concerned with ‘Trans’ Care, Abortion
