A judge in Detroit is at the center of an explosive federal indictment accusing her and three co-conspirators of embezzling money from vulnerable individuals who were legally unable to manage their own finances.
Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, who was elected to Michigan’s 36th District Court in 2024, is one of four people charged in a sweeping scheme to defraud incapacitated adults out of thousands of dollars. Federal authorities allege the group used their positions of trust to siphon off funds from those under court-appointed guardianship.
According to the indictment unsealed Friday, Bradley-Baskin, her father Attorney Avery Bradley, 72, Nancy Williams, 59, and Dwight Rashad, 69, engaged in a years-long conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Williams, through her company Guardian and Associates, had been appointed by Wayne County Probate Court to act as fiduciary in over 1,000 cases involving incapacitated adults.
The group is accused of exploiting those appointments for personal gain — in some cases stealing tens of thousands of dollars. Authorities allege Bradley-Baskin used $70,000 from one ward to buy into a local bar, and in another instance, paid for a two-year lease on a new Ford Expedition using estate funds from another ward.
“These four defendants allegedly conspired to steal from some of our most vulnerable citizens — looting bank accounts, exploiting legal authority, and profiting off those who relied on them for care and protection,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.
The charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to federal agents.
Legal experts say the case highlights the lack of oversight in guardianship systems and warns that abuse can go unnoticed for years. “They can spend it illegally, and usually they don’t get caught,” said attorney Mike Morse, who’s not involved in the case. “I’m sure this is going on elsewhere.”
The FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigations are leading the ongoing probe.
