The Chicago Sun-Times reports:
A highly regarded Cook County judge who formerly worked for the Illinois Lottery and state Department of Revenue is facing federal fraud charges for providing false information to obtain loans for properties on the South Side, authorities announced Wednesday.
Judge Jessica Arong O’Brien, 49, was charged with one count of mail fraud affecting a financial institution, and one count of bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago.
The alleged crimes occurred before O’Brien was elected the first female Filipino-American judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2012, filling the seat vacated by the retirement of Judge Harry Simmons Jr.
She won’t be hearing any more cases at the Daley Center, at least not in the short term.
There's more:
She also won former “President Barack Obama’s Call to Service Award in recognition for her more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service over the past decade,” according to an online biography.
There's even more:
According to her bio on the website of the Diversity Scholarship Foundation, where she was a board member, “Judge O’Brien is a contributing editor for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and has a column entitled, ‘Making It.’ The purpose of her column is to inspire readers of people’s journey to success.”
The great moments of modern immigration! Diversity is our strength! They don't call it Crook County for nothing.
