Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A former judge in Cook County, Ill., has been stripped of her law license after claims she stole money from her uncle to buy cryptocurrency.
Patricia Manila Martin was accused of stealing $240,000 in funds belonging to Oscar Lawton Wilkerson, Jr., after he moved into a nursing home, according to Illinois Supreme Court documents obtained by UPI.
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Martin allegedly made false statements to Wilkerson's physician and close friend about the balance in his investment, checking and money market accounts after she had closed those accounts.
The saga began when Maceo R. Ellison, a friend of the then 95-year-old Wilkerson, recommended he be moved into the nursing home.
Ellison held power of attorney but asked Martin, the niece of Wilkerson's former spouse, to help him manage his financial affairs.
Martin resigned her position as a circuit court judge in Cook County as Wilkerson moved into Brookdale Senior Living in Orland Park in December 2020.
That same month, Martin closed Wilkerson's accounts and used the money to purchase bitcoin in her name that she exclusively controlled, despite not being authorized by Ellison or Wilkerson to do so.
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By February 2021, Martin had taken $314,566 from...
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