Former Cook County Judge Patricia Martin was sentenced Friday to four years' probation after pleading guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from World War II veteran Oscar Wilkerson Jr., one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen.Martin, who was head of the Cook County juvenile court's child protection division until her 2020 retirement, appeared before Judge Terry Gallagher and pleaded guilty to one count of theft with a value between $100,000 and $500,000.She was sentenced to four years of probation and ordered to pay $122,763.73 in restitution, according to court records.Martin is the niece of Wilkerson’s former wife and was given control of his finances in November 2020 when he moved into a senior residence in Orland Park, the Sun-Times previously reported.Wilkerson, who died in February 2023 at age 96, was among roughly 300 surviving members of the trailblazing all-Black aviation unit who were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush.Martin was charged in November 2023 with seven felony counts, including theft, money-laundering, financial exploitation of an elderly person and running a continuing criminal enterprise. Prosecutors said she took money from Wilkerson's accounts and used it to buy cryptocurrency.Wilkerson's attorneys discovered that more than $380,000 had been emptied from his bank and retirement accounts, according to a lawsuit. Wilkerson learned the money was missing when he received a bill for more than $41,000 in unpaid fees from his senior residence in July 2022. Cook County Circuit Judge Anna Demacopoulos entered a $1.2 million default judgment against Martin in May 2023 after Martin did not respond to questions about the money and hand over records in the civil case.As part of her probation, Martin must report to the Adult Probation Department, complete drug and alcohol evaluation and treatment, submit to random drug testing and comply with DNA indexing requirements. She is also prohibited from leaving Illinois without court permission and cannot possess firearms or other weapons.Martin's probation runs through Dec. 3, 2029. ...read more read less