Detroit Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin Indicted in Embezzlement Case

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan unsealed an indictment charging 36th District Court Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, attorney Avery Bradley, 72, Nancy Williams, 59, and Dwight Rashad, 69, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to a DOJ press release.

The indictment alleges the co-defendants conspired to embezzle funds from incapacitated wards and that Nancy Williams's agency, Guardian and Associates, was appointed fiduciary in more than 1,000 Wayne County Probate Court cases, according to court documents.

The indictment cites instances in which Andrea Bradley-Baskin allegedly used $70,000 of a ward's funds to buy an ownership stake in a local bar and in which Avery Bradley, Nancy Williams and Dwight Rashad allegedly diverted roughly $203,000 from a ward's legal settlement, court documents show.

U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in the DOJ press release that the defendants "allegedly abused that high honor for personal gain," and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan and IRS-CI Special Agent Karen Wingerd said investigators will pursue those who prey on vulnerable wards.

All four defendants pleaded not guilty at arraignment and were released on $10,000 unsecured bonds, court records show, and the case is being investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigations and will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert A. Moran and John Neal.