Sept. 24 (UPI) — A former choose in Cook dinner County, In poor health., has been stripped of her legislation license after claims she stole cash from her uncle to purchase cryptocurrency.
Patricia Manila Martin was accused of stealing $240,000 in funds belonging to Oscar Lawton Wilkerson, Jr., after he moved right into a nursing house, based on Illinois Supreme Court paperwork obtained by UPI.
Promoting
Martin allegedly made false statements to Wilkerson’s doctor and shut good friend in regards to the stability in his funding, checking and cash market accounts after she had closed these accounts.
The saga started when Maceo R. Ellison, a good friend of the then 95-year-old Wilkerson, really useful he be moved into the nursing house.
Ellison held energy of legal professional however requested Martin, the niece of Wilkerson’s former partner, to assist him handle his monetary affairs.
Martin resigned her place as a circuit court docket choose in Cook dinner County as Wilkerson moved into Brookdale Senior Dwelling in Orland Park in December 2020.
That very same month, Martin closed Wilkerson’s accounts and used the cash to buy bitcoin in her title that she completely managed, regardless of not being approved by Ellison or Wilkerson to take action.
By February 2021, Martin had taken $314,566 from Wilkerson’s accounts however spent simply $68,363 in the direction of his care.
In July 2022, Brookdale contacted Ellison and knowledgeable him that Martin had not paid for Wilkerson’s care for 2 months and owed greater than $41,000.
Ellison then found that Wilkerson’s accounts contained zero balances and had been closed and employed an legal professional to research. That legal professional, Eric Puryear, filed a lawsuit in opposition to Martin within the Circuit Courtroom of Cook dinner County in September 2022.
Martin filed a solution to that criticism in December by which she admitted to her wrongdoing. Wilkerson, a former Tuskegee Airman, died in February.
In Might, one other choose entered a default judgment in opposition to Martin within the civil case within the quantity of greater than $1.2 million. Martin has argued that she should not need to pay the penalty to his property since he’s now useless.
The previous choose has been licensed to observe legislation since Might 1986 and moved to have her title stricken from the Roll of Attorneys.
