The court has ordered ex-Cook County judge, Patricia Martin, to pay $1.2 million dollars for stealing money from a decorated Tuskegee Airman’s life savings. Martin is the niece of the former wife of the decorated officer, Oscar Wilkerson Jr.
The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated, determined young men who volunteered to be America’s first Black military airmen. They fought during World War II. These men possessed the mental and physical qualifications.
Initially, they were accepted for aviation cadet training to be pilots. Later on, they were brought in to be bombardiers, pilots, or navigators. Wilkerson Jr. was one of the proud men to join the force from Chicago.
Lawsuit Against the Former Judge
Last September, Wilkerson Jr. sued Martin, accusing her of taking advantage of him. In his lawsuit, he sought to get his life savings back along with damages. The former judge “placed the vast majority of it into cryptocurrency before transferring it away into as-yet unknown locations,” according to his attorneys’ motion for a default judgment. Martin had allegedly stolen $380,000 of Wilkerson’s savings and retirement funds.
He lived a rich life and when his health began to deteriorate, his finances were placed into the hands of the former judge. Prior to handling Wilkerson Jr.’s funds, Martin was the presiding judge of the Cook County juvenile court’s child protection division. She presided for over two decades before retiring in 2020.
Before that, she “was an assistant public defender and a judge in the county’s law department,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Stealing From a Decorated Veteran
Court records show that she took control of Wilkerson Jr.’s finances in 2020 after retiring.
Cook County Circuit Judge Anna Demacopoulos issued the default ruling in favor of the plaintiff on May 24. One week later, the administrator of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission filed a complaint against the former judge.
The state legal disciplinary agency’s complaint accuses Martin of stealing at least $246,000 from Wilkerson Jr. Furthermore, the complaint also says she placed $110,000 of that money into cryptocurrency. Then she made false statements to Wilkerson Jr. and the close friend who was handling his affairs.
Showing Proof
In Wilkerson Jr.’s civil case, Martin made a filing where she “admitted that she had wrongfully assumed control” over his finances and “had intentionally deprived” him of his money.
Wilkerson Jr. passed away early this year. It is unclear who will be the recipient of the $1.2 million.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Chicago Sun-Times: Ex-Cook County judge, accused of stealing decorated Tuskegee Airman’s life savings, is ordered to pay $1.2 million
Tuskegee University: Tuskegee Airmen Facts
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Inset Image Courtesy of Pete Markham‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
