Four Detroit-area residents, including a sitting judge and a local attorney, were indicted in a scheme that prosecutors say drained money from incapacitated wards through alleged wire fraud, money laundering and other offenses tied to guardianship duties.
Federal prosecutors say the case centers on a pattern of alleged theft from adults the court had deemed unable to manage their own affairs. The named defendants are Nancy Williams, 59; Avery Bradley, 72; Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46; and Dwight Rashad, 69, all Detroit residents. The indictment charges the group with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and includes additional counts: a count of wire fraud for Avery Bradley, multiple money laundering counts for Bradley, Bradley-Baskin and Rashad, and a count alleging Bradley-Baskin made a false statement to a federal law enforcement agent.
Probate courts routinely appoint guardians and conservators to handle personal and financial matters for adults found incapacitated by the court. Those guardians and conservators serve as fiduciaries with a legal duty to act in the best interest of their wards. Prosecutors say the alleged scheme abused that trust by channeling ward funds away from their intended purposes and into private hands.
According to the indictment, Nancy Williams owned an agency called Guardian and Associates that was appointed as a fiduciary in more than 1,000 Wayne County Probate Court cases. Avery Bradley is identified as an attorney who, along with his daughter Andrea Bradley-Baskin, operated a law firm that frequently represented Guardian and Associates in probate court. Prosecutors allege the professional relationships gave the defendants repeated access to ward assets and to court processes that should have protected those assets.
“We respect the authority that covers a black robe. This state judge and her cronies allegedly abused that high honor for personal gain by preying on the needy protected by the court. This would be a grievous abuse of our public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Gorgon.
Bradley-Baskin currently serves as a district judge on Michigan’s 36th District Court, according to the indictment, while Dwight Rashad is accused of operating group homes and residential facilities that provided care for elderly and incapacitated individuals. Prosecutors say those business ties created opportunities to divert funds and to present the appearance of legitimate arrangements that, in reality, benefited the defendants.
“Regardless of a person’s position in society, no one is above the law. 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. “Let me be clear: if you prey on the vulnerable, we will find you and bring you to justice. Finally, I want to recognize our FBI Detroit Area Corruption Task Force, alongside our partners at the IRS Criminal Investigations Detroit Field Office, for their dedicated work on behalf of these victims, as well as the Wayne County Probate Court for bringing this matter to our attention and assisting the investigation.”
The indictment lays out multiple examples alleged to show how the co-conspirators moved ward money into personal investments and purchases. In one instance, Bradley-Baskin is accused of using $70,000 from a ward’s account to buy an ownership stake in a local bar. In another case, prosecutors say Bradley, Williams, and Rashad diverted roughly $203,000 from a ward’s legal settlement with none of the money going to benefit the ward.
Bradley-Baskin is also alleged to have used funds misappropriated from a ward’s estate to cover a two-year lease on a Ford Expedition for her personal use. Williams allegedly paid Rashad rent on behalf of wards who, prosecutors claim, did not actually live in Rashad’s facilities, raising questions about how those ward funds were accounted for and spent. These examples are presented as part of a broader pattern that the government says amounts to systematic embezzlement.
“No matter who you are, or what your position is, it is entirely unacceptable to help yourself to money that is not yours. What makes these allegations so disturbing is that the victims are part of very vulnerable population and trusted the accused to act in their best interest,” said Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “IRS-CI is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to protect the financial well-being of the vulnerable and root out those who threaten their security.”
If you have information concerning a ward of Guardian & Associates or Tri-State Guardian Services, contact the FBI. An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The investigation is ongoing and authorities encourage anyone with relevant details to come forward.
The matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert A. Moran and John Neal. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Detroit Field Office, and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations Detroit Field Office.
