A sitting Detroit judge, her attorney father and two others face federal charges for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from people who could not care for themselves.
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Michigan announced the indictment Friday against 36th District Court Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, attorney Avery Bradley, 72, Nancy Williams, 59, and Dwight Rashad, 69, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release. All four Detroit residents face conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges. Bradley also faces a wire fraud count. Bradley, Bradley-Baskin and Rashad face multiple money laundering charges. Bradley-Baskin is additionally charged with making a false statement to federal agents.
Williams owned Guardian and Associates, a company the Wayne County Probate Court appointed to manage affairs for incapacitated adults in more than 1,000 cases, the DOJ stated. Bradley and his daughter Bradley-Baskin ran a law firm that represented Guardian and Associates. Rashad operated group homes for elderly individuals who needed care.
Prosecutors allege Bradley-Baskin used $70,000 from one ward to buy a stake in a local bar. She also allegedly used stolen funds to pay for a two-year lease on a Ford Expedition. Bradley, Williams and Rashad allegedly took roughly $203,000 from another ward’s legal settlement. Williams allegedly paid Rashad rent for wards who never lived in his facilities.
“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 in the release.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan added that the defendants “allegedly conspired to steal from some of our most vulnerable citizens.”
Bradley-Baskin has been removed from her docket following the indictment, CBS Detroit reported. Chief Judge William McConico said the State Court Administrative Office approved the action.
All four defendants pleaded not guilty at their Friday arraignment and were released on $10,000 unsecured bonds, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Bradley-Baskin won election to the bench in November 2024 and took office Jan. 1, 2025, according to Ballotpedia. She previously served as the court’s general counsel and is the daughter of retired 36th District Judge Vanessa Jones-Bradley.
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