'Progressive' Detroit judge allegedly leased new SUV by picking the pockets of vulnerable adults



A Detroit judge described as "progressive" has been federally charged after she, her dad, and two other defendants allegedly schemed to steal money from vulnerable adults.

On Friday, Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, of the 36th District Court in Detroit was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and making a false statement to federal law enforcement in connection with the scheme, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Michigan.

'Regardless of a person’s position in society, no one is above the law.'

Bradley-Baskin coordinated with her 72-year-old father, who is also an attorney, and two others involved with "wards" identified by probate courts as needing guardians or conservators to help with managing their "personal and financial affairs," the press release claimed. The four then "conspired to systematically embezzle" money belonging to the wards or their estates, it continued.

In one case, Bradley-Baskin is accused of taking $70,000 in ward funds and using it to invest in a local bar. She also allegedly used money from a ward's estate to lease a new Ford Expedition SUV, prosecutors claim.

RELATED: Democrat darling charged: Dana Nessel ally accused of stealing $50,000 from brain-damaged old woman

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"We respect the authority that covers a black robe. This state judge and her cronies allegedly abused that high honor for personal gain by preying on the needy protected by the court. This would be a grievous abuse of our public trust," said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.

"Regardless of a person’s position in society, no one is above the law. These four defendants allegedly conspired to steal from some of our most vulnerable citizens — looting bank accounts, exploiting legal authority, and profiting off those who relied on them for care and protection," said Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.

Bradley-Baskin was elected to serve on Michigan's 36th District Court in 2024. As of Tuesday morning, she remains listed on the court's website.

Though technically a nonpartisan race, she has had support from Democrat-leaning organizations. Blue Voter Guide described Bradley-Baskin as having "progressive values." The Detroit Bar Association, which remains steadfastly committed to "diversity and inclusion," reportedly gave her an "outstanding" rating.

A message left for Bradley-Baskin at a court phone number listed for her was not returned. The DBA did not respond to a request for comment.

Just recently, former Michigan Democratic Party treasurer Traci Kornak, an ally of far-left Attorney General Dana Nessel, was charged in Kent County in connection with similar allegations. Kornak is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a brain-damaged elderly woman in assisted living who has since passed away.

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Detroit police commissioner turns out to be felon who once threatened to shoot a cop



A recently elected Detroit police commissioner has withdrawn his promise to resign, even after a local news outlet made public his criminal past — as well as his antagonistic interactions with cops.

On December 17, Darious Morris, 38, was sworn in as one of nearly a dozen members of the Board of Police Commissioners, entrusted with overseeing the Detroit Police Department. Morris won the seat representing District 3 on a write-in campaign after no other name appeared on the ballot.

'If you would have put your hands on him, I would have shot you!'

However, a report from WXYZ-TV just a few weeks later led Morris to consider tendering his resignation.

Morris has a criminal record that extends all the way back to 2009, when he pled no contest to felony fraud and impersonating a public officer charges in connection with what he described as "real estate fraud."

"It was taking homes from the bank that the bank got foreclosed on people, and we were fraudulently taking the deeds to the homes and deeding them over," Morris told the outlet.

While he was sentenced to probation in these cases, he was charged with fraud again a year later and wound up behind bars for two years, WXYZ reported. After his release, Morris apparently lived the next 12 years as a law-abiding citizen.

RELATED: Crooks need only 5 minutes to steal $90,000 in merchandise from Detroit clothing store in predawn heist, owner says

Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

That sterling record changed in May 2023, when he involved himself in a relatively routine traffic stop of a mini-bike driver in the neighboring city of Warren.

It turns out the bike was not street-legal, and the driver did not have a license, police said. Morris stood at a distance during the stop, claiming he wanted to make sure the cops were acting appropriately.

Morris also seemingly suggested that he was a member of law enforcement, donning a silver police badge purchased online. According to Warren police, Morris falsely told the officers he was a "Detroit Police Department Chaplain at the 9th Precinct."

Bodycam footage shows one Warren officer ordering Morris: "Stand by the vehicle, please. If you interfere with this stop, understand you are not allowed to."

After Morris later repeatedly calls the officer an "idiot," the cop responds, "I'm done. I'm done talking to you," according to the video.

The officer then attempts to get in his vehicle when Morris cries out: "If you would have put your hands on him, I would have shot you!"

Morris later pled guilty to assaulting, resisting, or obstructing a police officer and was sentenced to probation. He admitted to WXYZ that he had lashed out in "anger," knowing the remark "would upset" the officer. He also claimed he had not been armed at the time and that he has since apologized to the officer.

'No matter what was said previously, right now, he’s not resigning.'

Just since his election in November, Morris, who has dubbed himself "the People's Commissioner," has rankled local officers with his officiousness, bluster, and accusations of mistreatment.

On December 28, he interrupted police rendering assistance to a drug-overdose victim. "We're trying to help someone here," one officer reportedly pleaded with Morris, who was attempting to speak with them.

Morris later filed a complaint against that officer. DPD told WXYZ an investigation into the officer's actions has been opened.

Morris also caused a scene at a Detroit precinct, refusing to go through a metal detector like all other visitors. When a cop demanded he comply with the policy, Morris shot back, "Put your information on a piece of paper so I can get you wrote up."

Morris even called for ousting a white Detroit police commander whose precinct he implied is racist.

"A lot of black citizens have been reporting to em that they are being mistreated by officers out of that precinct. I even experienced disrespect by one of their officers," Morris wrote in a since-deleted social media post, according to the Midwesterner.

"Get rid of Commander Svec immediately!" the post added.

At least one police group has called for Morris to resign, accusing him of spewing "alarming anti-police rhetoric," attempting to "dox" police officers, and not living up to his promises.

"Upon being sworn in on December 17, 2025, Commissioner Morris stated that he was eager to improve the relationship between the youth of Detroit and the Police Department. Not even a month later, he is instigating citizens against police officers," National Association of Police Organizations Executive Director William Johnson wrote in a letter to the Board of Police Commissioners.

RELATED: University of Michigan's bio-smuggling scandal explodes: More Chinese scholars busted in alleged plot

Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

Shortly after the WXYZ-TV story aired last week, Morris initially agreed to step down from the Board of Police Commissioners. "I already have my city-issued laptop and all my stuff packed up and ready," he told the outlet, acknowledging that the public may view the BOPC "in an unfavorable light" on his account.

At a press conference Monday, however, Morris' attorneys walked that resignation pledge back. "No matter what was said previously, right now, he’s not resigning," insisted Mohammed Nasser.

Of note, Morris could still be in trouble with the law. Back in 2021, weapons charges against Morris were dropped after an officer did not appear at the scheduled hearing, but the office of Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy claimed that those charges may now be refiled.

"We have asked that the case be re-issued. When we receive the warrant request from (Detroit police) it will be reviewed," spokesperson Maria Miller told the Detroit Free Press.

About these pending weapons charges, Nasser said, "We would certainly advise our client not to resign and allow the criminal case — if it comes — to be addressed in due course. Reissuances do happen. In our practice, we see it all the time. The fact that it is coming many years later, I’ll leave that for everyone to decipher as to what they believe the reason may be."

The BOPC did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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'Fascist Pigs': Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Served on Board of Far-Left Group That Smeared Cops and Lobbied To 'Defund' and 'Abolish the Police'

Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in the Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat in 2026, served on the board of a far-left climate group from 2019 to 2021, according to financial disclosure records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon. During that time, the organization lobbied to "defund and abolish the police" and described cops as "fascist pigs."

The post 'Fascist Pigs': Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Served on Board of Far-Left Group That Smeared Cops and Lobbied To 'Defund' and 'Abolish the Police' appeared first on .

Convicted sex creep working as college professor in Michigan nabbed by ICE



A convicted sex offender college professor whose criminal past made him "ineligible for legal status in the United States" has been arrested by ICE, according to a DHS press release published earlier this week.

On November 12, ICE officers arrested Sumith Gunasekera of Sri Lanka in Detroit. According to the press release, he told officers that he was employed as an associate professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, about 200 miles northwest of Detroit.

He was arrested for invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference. He told officers at the time that the ... incident involved a minor, DHS reported.

Gunasekera first came to the U.S. in February 1998, spent some time in Canada, and then returned to the U.S. later that year on a student visa, the press release said.

During his stint in Canada, he was arrested in Brampton, Ontario, on two separate occasions just three days apart. In the first instance, he was arrested for uttering death threats. In the second, he was arrested for invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference. He told officers at the time that the second incident involved a minor, DHS reported.

In November 1998, a Canadian criminal court convicted him of utter threat to cause death or bodily harm and sexual interference and sentenced him to one month of incarceration and one year of probation, DHS said.

Gunasekera — who earned a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Nevada, according to the Ferris State website — also ran afoul of the law in Las Vegas a few years after his trouble in Canada, the press release said. Cops arrested him for open and gross lewdness in September 2003, and just four months later, he was convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced to fines.

In 2012, Gunasekera filed for a change in immigration status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, at which point his Canadian convictions came to light. Those convictions rendered him "ineligible for legal status in the United States," the press release said. Despite his ineligibility, Gunasekera "repeatedly attempted to manipulate our immigration system between applications, denials, and appeals," it added.

"It's sickening that a sex offender was working as a professor on an American college campus and was given access to vulnerable students to potentially victimize them," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "Thanks to the brave ICE law enforcement officers, this sicko is behind bars and no longer able to prey on Americans. His days of exploiting the immigration system are OVER. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminals are not welcome in the U.S."

RELATED: Trump to 'permanently pause' migration from third-world backwaters in wake of National Guard member's grisly murder

Bill Oxford/Getty Images

As of Sunday evening, Gunasekera remains listed on the Ferris State website as an assistant professor of marketing. According to a statement from Dave Murray, Ferris State associate vice president for marketing and communications, he has since been placed on administrative leave.

"Ferris State University leaders on Tuesday became aware of accusations regarding professor Sumith Gunasekera. He has been placed on administrative leave while the university gathers more information. This is a personnel issue and it would be inappropriate for the university to further discuss the matter," Murray told the Detroit News.

A federal immigration database states that Gunasekera remains in ICE custody at a federal facility in Baldwin, Michigan, about a half-hour from Ferris State. Further immigration proceedings are pending, DHS said.

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Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Helped Lead Anti-Police Group as It Organized Detroit Protest Turned Deadly Riot

Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in the 2026 Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat, was on the board of an anti-police group when it organized Detroit protests that turned deadly in May 2020, public disclosure records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show.

The post Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Helped Lead Anti-Police Group as It Organized Detroit Protest Turned Deadly Riot appeared first on .

‘People Are Angry’: Big City Mayor Who Left Democrats Blasts Ex-Party’s ‘Entirely Negative’ Messaging

'It's just been so frustrating to watch'

A Harvard Dean Defended Death Threats Against Trump. The University Has Said Nothing.

Harvard University won’t say whether it will sanction a dean who defended “rioting and looting” as legitimate “parts of democracy,” described “whiteness” as a “self-destructive ideology,” and said it was acceptable to wish death on President Donald Trump.

The post A Harvard Dean Defended Death Threats Against Trump. The University Has Said Nothing. appeared first on .

Detroit Man Featured on Hasan Piker Livestream Arrested for Making Terroristic Threats

Hasan Piker featured a Detroit man on Twitch just a week before he was charged with nearly a dozen counts of making terroristic threats. Jarrett Maki on Aug. 30 toured Piker and his crew around the Detroit City Football Club, where the 25-year-old works as the sports information director, handing the streamer merchandise and media passes to attend that day's soccer game.

The post Detroit Man Featured on Hasan Piker Livestream Arrested for Making Terroristic Threats appeared first on .

Crooks need only 5 minutes to steal $90,000 in merchandise from Detroit clothing store in predawn heist, owner says



The owner of a Detroit clothing store said it took crooks only five minutes to steal $90,000 in merchandise from his place of business in a predawn heist Monday, WDIV-TV reported.

“When I get here, the police was already here, but the damage has already been done," Waheed Ahmed, owner of J-Bees on Gratiot Avenue for 26 years, told the station. "Merchandise was gone."

'You know, when you’re in the community, you’re trying to bring good brands to the community, try to bring good quality things to the community, and you build a relationship with certain customers. So it’s like, what you gonna do? You gonna shut it down, or you gonna stay open?'

Ahmed, 57, told WDIV that security video showed the crooks arriving in a white minivan and a black pickup truck at 4:49 a.m.

At least a dozen individuals quickly exited the minivan while another group got out of the pickup, the station said.

By 4:53 a.m., the crooks smashed a window and door, forced open the storefront gate, and went inside, WDIV reported, adding that the crew emptied tables and shelves, destroyed mannequins, and broke into a back office.

The thieves were gone by 4:56 a.m., the station said — just five minutes to steal an estimated $90,000 worth of clothing, the station said.

RELATED: Crooks try getaway after daytime smash-and-grab heist of Rolex watches in downtown Chicago — but time runs out on them

“They moved quick. They had an idea what they wanted," Dee, the store’s general manager for the last 15 years, told WDIV.

Dee added to the station that “they had, like, 12 to 15 guys. This is a routine. This is probably something that they do on the daily.”

WDIV noted that this incident is the second time this year that the store had been robbed in such a brutal fashion.

“I feel like someone came in and scoped the store out,” Dee added to the station. “They took a look around and seen where everything was at, where everything was set up — like the high-end merchandise — and that’s what they went after."

More from WDIV:

Dee said that robberies like this are tiresome, and he feels the store needs more security and better protection with the help of Detroit police.

Both Ahmed and his general manager are frustrated with this type of crime, as they want to keep businesses like this in the neighborhood.

“You know, when you’re in the community, you’re trying to bring good brands to the community, try to bring good quality things to the community, and you build a relationship with certain customers,” Dee noted to the station. “So it’s like, what you gonna do? You gonna shut it down, or you gonna stay open?”

Ahmed added to WDIV that "I love this neighborhood. It’s been 26 years, so I am seeing a third generation in my place, so I get connected with the third generation.”

But the crime is taking a toll on him, too.

“I really enjoy doing business with them,” Ahmed noted to the station. “But I say it’s getting frustrating.”

Detroit police detectives arrived Monday afternoon to gather information about the robbery, WDIV said.

Between the damage and the stolen merchandise, Ahmed told the station that even with insurance, he could be looking at a total loss of at least $200,000.

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Dem Who Called Trump Sending National Guard ‘Abuse Of Power’ Thought Differently When Obama Was In White House

Democratic Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens is facing another controversy after being caught earlier in the week touting a fake endorsement of her Senate campaign. Stevens blasted former Republican Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, the Trump-endorsed candidate in the race, on Thursday for Rogers calling on the president to send the National Guard to Detroit to combat […]