A former Cook dinner County decide has been accused in an legal professional self-discipline criticism of taking almost $250,000 from the financial institution accounts of a 95-year-old man she was tasked with aiding financially and utilizing the funds for her personal functions, together with shopping for cryptocurrency.
Patricia Martin, who stepped down as presiding decide within the little one safety division in 2020, is the topic of a fraud criticism filed Could 31 by the Illinois Lawyer Registration and Disciplinary Fee, which handles allegations of lawyer misconduct.
Martin didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from the Tribune.
In November 2020, a health care provider who held an influence of legal professional for a 95-year-old buddy advisable the person transfer to an elder care facility and requested Martin, the niece of the person’s former partner, to assist the physician handle the person’s monetary affairs, based on the criticism. Martin mentioned sure and agreed to make use of the person’s funds just for his personal profit.
A couple of month later, the person moved right into a suburban senior residing facility, the criticism mentioned.
On Dec. 26, 2020, Martin, the criticism alleges, holding herself as his energy of legal professional, closed out two of the person’s financial institution accounts, withdrawing $115,353.45. A number of days later, Martin used the funds to buy $110,000 in cryptocurrency in her personal title and unique management, the criticism alleges. She by no means requested permission from the person or the physician to take action, based on the doc.
Between February 2021 and October 2022, Martin used extra of the person’s cash “with out authority, to make further cryptocurrency purchases for her personal profit, in addition to in the direction of her personal private functions,” the criticism says.
In July 2022, the senior residing facility contacted the physician to let him know that the person’s payments had not been paid in about two months, and his account was greater than $41,000 in arrears, based on the criticism. A couple of week later, the ability terminated the person’s residency.
The next month, the physician found the closed financial institution accounts with zero balances, based on the criticism, and employed an legal professional to look into Martin’s dealing with of the person’s funds.
The legal professional corresponded for a number of weeks with Martin “with out acquiring solutions to his questions.”
In all, the criticism alleges, Martin took about $246,203.80 of the person’s cash for her personal use.
A panel investigating the matter discovered benefit to file the criticism accusing Martin of fraud for allegedly misappropriating the cash she was purported to be managing for the person. It additionally accuses her of mendacity to the person and the physician about it and failing to cooperate with the investigation.
The case will then be set for a listening to, which may lead to self-discipline similar to suspension or disbarment.
