Michigan judge among four indicted in ward-fund embezzlement scheme

A sitting Michigan judge, Andrea Bradley-Baskin of the 36th District Court, and three Detroit-area residents were indicted on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and related charges for allegedly siphoning hundreds of thousands from wards’ estates through Guardian and Associates and related entities. Alleged schemes included using about $70,000 to buy a stake in a bar, diverting roughly $203,000 from a ward’s settlement, and a two-year lease on a Ford Expedition for the judge, with money laundering counts and a false-statement charge also tied to Bradley-Baskin. FBI and U.S. Attorney officials described the case as fiduciary abuse of vulnerable individuals in probate matters.