A former Cook County judge, charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bank accounts of an elderly former Tuskegee Airman for the purpose of purchasing cryptocurrency, has been indicted on seven felony counts. The charges include theft, money laundering, and financial exploitation of an older adult.

The felony charges were lodged on Nov. 9 against Patricia Martin, who stepped down in 2020 as presiding judge in the child protection division in the Cook County Circuit Court. According to court records, she’s allowed to live in Missouri while she awaits her next court date in December.

“She had a long and distinguished career, and we expect her to be vindicated,” said Martin’s attorney, Michael Leonard.

The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, responsible for addressing allegations of lawyer misconduct, asserted in a fraud complaint filed on May 31 that Martin embezzled funds from Oscar Wilkerson, an elderly individual whose financial matters she was entrusted to manage. They allege she used the money for her benefit, including buying more than $100,000 in cryptocurrency.

Wilkerson died in February at 97.