John Kass: Worst Crooked Judge in the World: Crook County Judge Patricia Martin

John Kass: Worst Crooked Judge in the World: Crook County Judge Patricia Martin

"Judge Martin’s story does come to us from the one place Chicagoans understand: the Department of Special Places in Hell. Martin is the former judge convicted of swindling an elderly Tuskegee Airman, Mr. Wilkerson, of his life savings. He found out about it after Judge Martin—who had his power of attorney to look out for him and pay his nursing home bills—stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from him. She blew it on bitcoin."

Worst Crooked Judge in the World: Crook County Judge Patricia Martin

By John Kass Wednesday Dec. 10, 2025 I’ve spent my life covering Chicago politics and Chicago political corruption. So, I guess you could say that I’ve seen some things: Many years ago, when I was first starting out in the newspapering business, the vaunted Chicago press corps—the corporate legacy media–was bowing and sniveling before a black “reform” mayor (not named Johnson) for fear of being branded as racists. This was just as the mayor’s to…