Ex Cook Co. judge charged with stealing decorated Tuskegee Airman and civil rights hero’s life savings

A former top Illinois judge accused of stealing the life savings of a World War II hero must pay back $1.2 million.

Patricia Martin, who spent 24 years in the Cook County bank, was in charge of Oscar Wilkerson Jr.’s savings.

But his family and the state’s legal disciplinary body claim she stole $240,000 of his money and sunk more than $100,000 into cryptocurrency, according to ABC Chicago.

Wilkerson was a highly decorated Tuskegee aviator and civil rights pioneer who was one of the first black military pilots to fight for the United States in the war before settling in Chicago.

He trusted Martin, who is his ex-wife’s niece, to take care of his finances as his health deteriorated, but sued her last September, saying she was taking advantage of his old age and hiding his pension money.

The veteran died a day short of his 97th birthday on Feb. 8, and Cook County Circuit Judge Anna Demacopoulos ordered Martin to pay $1.2 million on May 24 for “the defendant’s continued lack of response.”

Wilkerson spent his last days in a retirement home in Orland Park while Martin took care of his bank, 401,000 and Social Security bills.

A judge for 24 years, she was chair of the child protection division of the Cook County Juvenile Court when she retired in 2020, one month after taking control of Wilkerson’s finances.

In April 2022, she reported that he had about $50,000 in his checking account and $120,000 in a retirement account, according to the lawsuit.

But alarm bells went off in July when Wilkerson was reportedly told he owed $41,296.10 to the retirement home he lived in because no payments had been made in recent months.

He found that his accounts had been “emptied” and it was not clear where his Social Security and pension payments were being deposited, the court documents said.

Martin did not respond to questions about where the money went or requests for information during the trial, according to court records.

And in October, Wilkerson’s attorneys said they were raising their concerns with the Cook County District Attorney’s Office, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and the Illinois Department of Aging.

They alleged that less than a month later, former judge Martin “wasted funds and may have engaged in high-risk crypto transactions that threaten remaining funds.”

After Wilkerson’s death, at a hearing on April 6, Martin was ordered by Judge Demacopoulos “not to transfer or use any further money.”

Wilkerson’s attorneys obtained records through a subpoena that showed his funds were being transferred to cryptocurrency exchange accounts that were being emptied, according to a May 11 filing.

The last transactions were between April 6 and April 28, totaling $2,875.29 and against the judge’s order.

The veteran’s lawyers then wrote to the judge asking Martin to show why she should not be held for contempt of court and to order her to return the money and show where she had put it.

They then reported that a total of $383,236.75 had been deducted from his accounts and that other people had to come together to pay the money owed to Wilkerson’s retirement home.

And the lawyers sought penalties from Martin for not answering the questions or providing records of where the money went, asking for a default judgment of $1,229,384.31.

This order was signed and granted by Judge Demacopoulos on May 24, and Martin was ordered to pay three times more than what she allegedly accepted for damages, fees and court costs.

Martin allegedly texted Wilkerson’s lawyers last October that she “did not deny or admit to any of the allegations.”

One of his lawyers responded that it “speaks volumes and is indeed an admission of misconduct on your part.”

Martin promised to “forward the remaining money,” court documents recording the text exchange showed.

“As a former lawyer and judge, you understand very well that repayment of stolen money does not reverse the crime,” the lawyer replied.

“I’m also sure you understand that neither I nor anyone involved here is confident that you will actually pay back the money weeks from now.”

A week after Judge Demacopoulos’ ruling in May, the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) filed a complaint against Martin.

The state’s legal disciplinary authority alleged that she used “at least $246,203.80 in … funds for her own personal purposes without his consent” to “purchase cryptocurrency which she owned in her own name and over which she had exclusive retained control’.

And it accused her of “emptying his bills like that… the assisted living flat wasn’t paid.”

The complaint also said that Martin filed a complaint in the civil suit in which she “admitted she falsely took control” of the veteran’s finances and “deliberately deprived him of his money.”

The ARDC said she must either fight the allegations or accept them, which could lead to her suspension.

During her career, Martin was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2013 to serve on the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities.

Wilkerson joined the Tuskegee Airmen, the first black aviation combat unit, after graduating from high school in 1944.

The group suffered significant racial discrimination during its service due to the segregation of the military at the time.

“The military had no intention of using black pilots. The real mission, the underlying mission, was that we would fail and prove their point,” Wilkerson said in an earlier interview.

But their bravery in the war helped pave the way for desegregation. They were awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 2006.

He regularly visited churches and schools to tell the story of how the Tuskegee Airmen broke the stereotype that black men couldn’t be fighter pilots.

Wilkerson, the last known surviving member of the Chicago group, introduced children to aviation and took them on their first flights for free through the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles Program.

He also worked as a DJ and hosted his own radio show until he retired.