DETROIT (Michigan News Source) — A sealed FBI investigation has pulled a sitting Detroit judge and her father into the heart of a growing public corruption scandal.
Federal agents are scrutinizing 36th District Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin and attorney Avery Bradley over alleged bribery, wire fraud, and financial misconduct involving court-appointed guardianship of vulnerable people.
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Search warrants reveal agents seized more than $580,000 in recent months from multiple Metro Detroit properties and accounts tied to Bradley-Baskin and related guardianship firms. The investigation centers on mismanagement of funds belonging to seniors and individuals with disabilities—clients who are now reportedly struggling to access care after their assets were frozen.
No charges have been filed, but the FBI is targeting records dating back to 2016, spanning Bradley-Baskin’s legal work, her time as district court counsel, and her recent tenure on the bench.
The investigation also swept up associates tied to 2020 election fraud and convicted drug traffickers. Judge Bradley-Baskin has refused public comment, and her attorneys have not responded to media inquiries, according to The Detroit News.
“When you have greedy actors—in a system people are already suspicious of—it does no favors to the vast majority … trying to do good,” Birmingham attorney Wade Fink said.
Naturally, the sealed nature of the FBI file has fueled skepticism online. One X commenter asked, “How can a sealed FBI file show a Detroit judge at the center of a bribery probe?”
Some expressed frustrations with Michigan’s justice system: “There is no integrity in the Michigan legal system. It is very broken,” one wrote, blaming systemic protections that shield judges and officials. “It is all covered up by rules … protecting the secret of what is really going on.”
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Others responded with cynicism: “Shocker.” Another simply wrote, “Sounds right.”