This article summarizes a federal case accusing 36th District Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin, guardian business owner Nancy Williams, and convicted felon Dwight Rashad of running a scheme that allegedly siphoned money and property from incapacitated Detroit-area residents.
Federal prosecutors say the plot funneled cash and real estate out of guardianship cases and into private hands tied to the judge and her associates. The indictment alleges $54,250 was used to rent a nearly $900,000 townhouse in Brush Park and more than $29,000 paid for a separate rental in Westland. The charges name three defendants and describe a pattern of transactions across multiple properties.
One of the most striking allegations involves Frankie James, described as a legally incapacitated woman who lost her Detroit home for a dollar. The house was bought by a firm linked to Corey Baskin, the judge’s husband, and later resold for $140,000. That kind of single-dollar transfer turned into a six-figure profit is the central image prosecutors emphasize in their case.
The storyline widens when you look at other estates tied to the same guardianship system. Authorities say the late retiree Ethel Ciotti’s home was handled by a court-appointed personal representative, attorney Avery Bradley, who is also the judge’s father. Both father and daughter are now under scrutiny by the FBI, which adds an uncomfortable family angle to the allegations.
Prosecutors have moved to freeze and potentially forfeit assets they believe were bought with illicit proceeds. Federal liens were filed on an Oak Park office building and on a Southfield home, each described as tied to bribery and related federal crimes. Those liens signal an aggressive push by the government to disrupt the alleged financial trail.
The FBI search warrant in the investigation allowed agents to seize records related to the care or finances of minors and legally incapacitated clients of Andrea Bradley-Baskin. That broad sweep shows investigators were checking into the financial lives of people who could not defend themselves. The alleged scope makes this far more than an isolated billing dispute; federal agents treated it as a systemic problem.
Guardianship is supposed to be a last-resort safety net for the elderly and the mentally impaired, not a loophole for insiders. When appointed guardians, lawyers, or judges are accused of exploiting those roles, the victims literally have nowhere else to turn. Prosecutors argue those vulnerabilities were exploited here, turning a protective system into a source of private gain.
This case also raises questions about vetting and electoral accountability. Bradley-Baskin won election to the 36th District Court bench in November 2024 while the FBI investigation was already in motion. Voters gave her the authority to rule on sensitive matters even as federal investigators were probing the very conduct that now forms the basis of criminal charges. That sequence points to gaps in how candidates and officials are examined before taking public office.
There is a bigger theme that conservatives have warned about for years: unchecked local power and weak political competition can erode checks and balances. When one-party control limits serious opposition and local reporting is stretched thin, problematic candidates can slip through without meaningful vetting. This alleged corruption case is an example of what can happen when oversight fails.
The charges span multiple jurisdictions and contain detailed financial allegations tied to properties in Brush Park, Westland, Southfield, and Oak Park. Prosecutors appear prepared to trace money, property transfers, and rental payments as proof of a coordinated scheme. For people who depended on the court system for protection, the consequences were devastating and immediate.
