Ex-Judge Stole Hundreds of Thousands From Last Tuskegee Airman: Docs

ORLAND PARK, IL — A retired Cook County judge faces several felonies after she was indicted on charges alleging she took more than $100,000 from the last surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen before his death in an Orland Park nursing home.

Patricia Martin faces seven felony charges in the matter after prosecutors claim that she illegally took the money from Oscar Wilkerson, Jr., over a two-year period during which she oversaw the former airman’s finances. Martin currently lives in Missouri and was not formally arraigned during her court appearance late last week after it was determined that her case would be heard by a judge outside of Cook County.

Wilkerson, who died in February a day ahead of his 97th birthday, moved into Brookdale Senior Living nursing home in 2020, according to court records. Martin, 64, who retired from the bench after overseeing the childhood protection division for Cook County, is the niece of Wilkerson’s former wife, according to reports.

Wilkerson grew up in Chicago Heights and had previously sued Martin, who served on the bench for 24 years before being disbarred.

Martin was previously named in a $1.2 million civil suit alleging that she stole $240,000 from Wilkerson, which his family discovered when he received an unpaid bill for $40,000 from the nursing home. Martin was ordered to pay $1.1 million — three times the amount that she reportedly stole from Wilkerson, but claimed that she does not have the money and has since argued that she should not be forced to repay the amount since Wilkerson is no longer living.

Martin was indicted on the new charges on Nov. 9 and faces charges of theft, money laundering, financial exploitation of an elderly person, and running a continuing criminal enterprise.

Prosecutors said that Martin stole the money from Wilkerson and then purchased cryptocurrency.

Martin was previously disbarred by the state after she admitted to misappropriating funds from her uncle’s account.

“She intentionally used for her own purposes more than $240,000 she had agreed to hold for an elderly relative who was residing in a nursing home, made false statements to the physician who held her relative’s power of attorney about the balances in his bank and investment accounts, and did not produce documents in response to an ARDC subpoena,” the court’s Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission said.