Friday, December 21, 2018

Crook County: "I'm an embarrassment," lawbreaking ex-judge says after getting sentenced to prison

Crook County, Illinois deserves its reputation.

From the Daily Mail:
A woman who became the first Filipina judge in Cook County, Chicago, has been handed a one year prison sentence after she was found guilty of taking part in a $1.4 million mortgage fraud scheme.

Jessica Arong O'Brien, 51, was a respected jurist and civic leader in Cook County before a 2017 indictment and the ensuing court case where she was convicted of two counts of scamming several lenders in the purchase of two South Side properties. She was convicted by a federal jury in February.

The mortgage fraud scheme took place a decade before O'Brien took the bench, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
In a statement in court, O'Brien said, "I'm an embarrassment."

She sure is.

O'Brien, a Democrat, was indicted last year and she was given administrative duties--she didn't hear cases--but still collected her entire paycheck. O'Brien didn't resign after her conviction early this year until September--collecting over $150,000 from taxpayers in 2018. She remained on the ballot for retention until September as well.

No comments:

Post a Comment