A former judge who had ties to one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen was sentenced to four years of probation for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her elderly neighbor.
Patricia Martin, a retired head of the Cook County juvenile court's child protection division, pleaded guilty to one count of theft with a value between $100,000 and $500,000. The sentence came after prosecutors said she had taken money from Oscar Wilkerson Jr.'s bank accounts and used it to buy cryptocurrency.
Martin was given control of Wilkerson's finances in November 2020 when he moved to a senior residence in Orland Park. At the time, Martin was Wilkerson's niece - as his former wife's niece - making her position even more suspicious.
According to prosecutors, more than $380,000 had been emptied from Wilkerson's bank and retirement accounts between July 2022 and November 2020, when he moved in with his niece. The money trail led back to Martin who failed to respond to questions about the missing funds and refused to turn over records.
In a stunning case of betrayal, the judge - who was known as a guardian for vulnerable children - turned out to be an untrustworthy caretaker, putting her elderly neighbor at risk. Cook County Circuit Judge Anna Demacopoulos entered a $1.2 million default judgment against Martin in May 2023 after Martin failed to respond.
As part of her four-year probation, Martin is required to report regularly to the Adult Probation Department, complete drug and alcohol evaluation and treatment, submit to random testing, comply with DNA indexing requirements, stay within Illinois without permission, and surrender her firearm licenses.
Patricia Martin, a retired head of the Cook County juvenile court's child protection division, pleaded guilty to one count of theft with a value between $100,000 and $500,000. The sentence came after prosecutors said she had taken money from Oscar Wilkerson Jr.'s bank accounts and used it to buy cryptocurrency.
Martin was given control of Wilkerson's finances in November 2020 when he moved to a senior residence in Orland Park. At the time, Martin was Wilkerson's niece - as his former wife's niece - making her position even more suspicious.
According to prosecutors, more than $380,000 had been emptied from Wilkerson's bank and retirement accounts between July 2022 and November 2020, when he moved in with his niece. The money trail led back to Martin who failed to respond to questions about the missing funds and refused to turn over records.
In a stunning case of betrayal, the judge - who was known as a guardian for vulnerable children - turned out to be an untrustworthy caretaker, putting her elderly neighbor at risk. Cook County Circuit Judge Anna Demacopoulos entered a $1.2 million default judgment against Martin in May 2023 after Martin failed to respond.
As part of her four-year probation, Martin is required to report regularly to the Adult Probation Department, complete drug and alcohol evaluation and treatment, submit to random testing, comply with DNA indexing requirements, stay within Illinois without permission, and surrender her firearm licenses.
! I mean, come on, hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from an elderly neighbor, and she's not even getting into real trouble? She was basically running his finances like her own personal piggy bank 
. And the fact that she's a judge herself is just sickening - it's like the ultimate case of 'you can't make this stuff up' 
. I guess it just goes to show how corrupt the justice system can be sometimes, and how easy it is for those in power to slip through the cracks 
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and then she just runs off with all that cash to buy cryptocurrency 
what a shame on our justice system that she was able to get away with it for so long. four years of probation is still way too lenient if you ask me 
I just can't believe this story. A judge who's supposed to be a guardian for kids ends up being a thief herself? It's like, how do you even lose track of money like that? And to think she was handling her elderly neighbor's finances too... it's so not right. I mean, what's next? Judges embezzling funds from charities or something? 
, she's supposed to be looking out for these elderly folks but turns out she's the one stealing from them 
. I guess you can't trust people who are supposed to be in positions of power 
. Anyways, at least she's getting some time on the line for it, but four years of probation is still a bit too lenient for me 
. I mean, who would've thought that someone with a background like Patricia Martin's, especially as a judge handling child protection cases, could be capable of something so deceitful? 
As someone who values trust and responsibility, it's hard for me to see how this happened under her watch. The sentence seems fair, though - four years of probation should give her some time to reflect on her actions and get her life back on track 
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. And the fact that she tried to cover it up and avoid responsibility is just the icing on the cake 
. I guess sometimes you just can't trust people in positions of power, no matter how good they seem on the surface 
Can't believe this! I mean, Patricia Martin was supposed to be protecting vulnerable kids as a head of child protection, but turns out she's the one who's been taking advantage of an elderly neighbor for her own gain 
. Four years might seem like a long time, but I'm glad she's getting some serious consequences for her actions 
. Hope this helps raise awareness about elder financial abuse and gets more people to speak out 
This case is a harsh reminder that power and privilege can be corrupting. As someone who's worked with vulnerable populations, I've seen how easily the lines of trust get blurred when we're given authority over others. It's like Patricia Martin was living in a world of her own, where she thought she was above the law just because of her connections. But what happened to her is a wake-up call for all of us - that with great power comes great responsibility. We gotta be mindful of our actions and make sure we're not taking advantage of those who need our help the most. 
this just happened in 2023 but its like ancient news now 
a judge who's supposed to be all about protecting kids ends up being a crypto thief 
. And the fact that she was handling her uncle's finances too... that's just not cool at all 
. I guess you can't judge a book by its cover, though - it sounds like Martin had some pretty serious issues that led to this crazy behavior 
and think about all the vulnerable kids she was supposedly watching over 
her actions are a huge slap in the face to justice system 
cant believe she only got 4 years probation, seems like a light sentence to me 
. I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on these types of people, 'cause they're not as trustworthy as you'd think 
. Did the authorities even investigate her background before giving her power of attorney over him? I need to see more about this case and understand how it all went down 