Jury Finds Cook County Judge Guilty

By Nick Gale, WLS-AM News

(CHICAGO) — A Cook County judge has been found guilty of mail and bank fraud in a real estate scheme.

The feds accused Judge Jessica O’Brien of pocketing $325,000 and lied to lenders about a $1.4 million scheme involving two properties on the South Side. The incident happened more than a decade ago.

O’Brien’s attorney told jurors that his client had made mistakes, but the jury didn’t buy it.

Once a rising star in the legal community, O’Brien became the first female Filipino-American elected judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Her co-defendant in the case plead guilty last month.

Under state law the conviction means O’Brien will lose her spot on the bench.

@ 2018 WLS-AM News​

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