Exactly how corrupt and vindictive is the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office?What an Outrage! From judge to ward of the court
Court Orders Release of Retired Judge
Erasing the Kung-Fu Judge
Battle Continues In Guardianship Case Of Retired Judge
Out of Order - Ailing Judge's Guardian Stole 187G
N.Y. Court Suspends Lawyer Accused of Taking Money From Judge's Estate
John L. Phillips Jr., a retired Civil Court judge known as the "Kung-Fu Judge", who owned theaters in Brooklyn that were a prominent platform for black activists in the 1980s, died at 83.
In 2001, Mr. Phillips, at 77, announced he would challenge the incumbent, Charles J. Hynes, in the race for district attorney in Brooklyn. But he was declared mentally incompetent after an investigation by Mr. Hynes that some said was politically motivated. Mr. Hynes said the action was undertaken for Mr. Phillips’s own good. A series of court-appointed guardians took over Mr. Phillips’s affairs, but a court case ensued involving allegations that the guardians had mismanaged his person and finances.
Civil Court Judge Is Dead
It was reported that this self-made multi-millionaire who served honorably for 13 years, was destitute and confined against his will to a Bronx nursing home. He was barred from receiving visitors or mail or even phone calls without permission of the court. His property had been sold off in unpublished and possibly illegal auctions. Millions in assets disappeared.
At long last, please set Judge Phillips free
After spending just over two years living in a cramped, foul-smelling room in a bleak nursing home at the outer reaches of the Bronx, the retired Brooklyn judge was finally transferred to an assisted living facility closer to his Brooklyn home.
Court Orders Release of Retired Judge from Nursing Home
The Brooklyn Eagle reported the saga of the retired judge’s guardianship case, along with a potential million-dollar fraud. The Eagle revealed details of an accounting of the tenure of a former property guardian, a report that shows hundreds of thousands of dollars in misappropriated funds. Accounting, filed in Brooklyn’s guardianship court, details irregular financial disbursements by former property guardian Emani Taylor, made from the bank accounts of retired Judge John Phillips, a ward of the guardianship court. Phillips’ supporters hope this accounting could be the catalyst for a criminal probe into what they claim have been years of mismanagement and outright theft.
Were Funds Pilfered from a Retired Judge’s Estate?
It was also reported that the retired judge owed a million dollars in back taxes. Since 2001, the responsibility for his taxes has been with a string of law guardians appointed by the state court since 2001. But for reasons that are not yet clear, the lawyers involved in the case never filed tax returns.
The Tax Travails Of the 'Kung-Fu Judge'
Court-appointed guardians for Alzheimer's-stricken ex-Judge John Phillips failed to file any income taxes for their elderly ward for more than five years - running up a million-dollar bill to the IRS, according to court papers. In a flurry of strongly worded motions, a current guardian slammed two predecessors, Ray Jones and Frank Livoti, for filing no taxes on Phillips' multimillion-dollar estate, which includes some dozen buildings in Brooklyn.
Judge Money Melee - Guardians Lax on Tax
A Brooklyn lawyer had been suspended from practicing as a state panel investigated her handling of the estate of John L. Phillips Jr. The lawyer, Emani P. Taylor, had been accused of improperly enriching herself from the Phillips estate. A panel in the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division called for Ms. Taylor’s immediate suspension pending further investigation, saying she had refused to cooperate with a court investigation into allegations of professional misconduct as Mr. Phillips’s guardian. The panel also found that Ms. Taylor “intentionally converted guardianship funds.”
Lawyer Is Suspended as Conduct Is Criticized
The People vs. the People
A Brooklyn-based filmmaker spent the better part of the last two years compiling a documentary on the retired civil court judge’s legal efforts to restore his once-vast real estate empire, as well as the 2001 election for district attorney. The film tells the story of how a real estate empire worth an estimated $10 million was dissipated, under the administration of a series of attorneys appointed by a state guardianship court.
Film Tells of Retired Judge’s Guardianship Case
May 2009 ~ Guardianship abuse victims recognized during Elder Abuse Prevention Month
The judge Phillips case is one I use often to explain the problem of guardianship abuse and the extent of it.
ReplyDeleteOver $10mil gone in less than five years?
Greed -- all for greed!
I am absolutely sure more judges will become "wards of the state" and for those "white judges" who will probably rationalize "well he's black; they wouldn't dare do that to a white man" _ keep fooling yourself all the way to "your lock up as a ward of the state". In case you haven't noticed, it's only a matter of time and not much time, that the white folks get the same treatment as Nat. Americans, Blacks, etc.
ReplyDeleteYOU SEE THE COLOR THING IS GREEN AND PAPER; THE RELIGION IS: worship of the god of obscene profit & power. KEEP FOOLING YOURSELVES JUDGES; THAT'S EXACTLY HOW TO BECOME A "WARD".
The thing I find absolutely fascinating and hardest to understand is how the guardians stole from Judge John Phillips with all the publicity on the case.
ReplyDeleteThey just couldn't resist themselves, I guess.
I find this shocking, absolutely shocking and no one is throwing these thieves in prison?
ReplyDeleteThis is an example of how the ring of thieves in the probate club figured out how to twist the system into a racket in the best interest of ......the guardians et al.
The greed in the guardianship racket is promoting and approving of elder abuse, in this case against Judge John Phillips, the victim, the ward.
The greedy vultures have no conscience, no moral character and they want ...... more!
I'm sure they, the vultures, look at themselves in the mirror, smile and approve of what they see.
Without reform, this is what we have to look forward to.
Thank you NASGA for educating society.
I believe Judge John Phillips was gaurdianized to get him out of politics.
ReplyDeleteI saw a picture of him lately and the caption said, "Alzheimer's judge", so that shows me the power of spinning the story.
I believe he was drugged into silence in the nursing home and the cover-up for that was to say he had Alzheimer's. May God rest his soul.
This case is proof that no one is safe from the vultures.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where the members of the "Free Judge John Phillips" movement are now that he is gone. I hope they are working to reform guardianship in his honor.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, the guardians got rich, Judge John Phillips lost everything, and the guardian didn't even pay his taxes.
ReplyDeleteWhat did the feds do about that, I wonder?
The reason for nonpayment of taxes by a string of guardians is quite clear: They want to be sure that they can suck up every last piece of the pie!
ReplyDeleteIt is a guardians duty to pay taxes of course they get away with this because the IRS then goes after the family, the heirs, if there is anything left.
ReplyDeleteIf not, then the heirs have to fight off the IRS back taxes, penalties and interest.
This case of Judge John Phillips is so brazen, in your face filled with stealling, IRS fraud and a host illegal activities with a parade of con-artists and schemers, yet the privileged and protected in the guardianship ring and lawyers laugh in their faces and laugh at us.
You try that and see what happens to you!
For those doubting Thomases who do not believe what we say is true. I have a challenge....
I say: Calling volunteers to sign up to become a ward of the state and show your support for how the system is protecting the ward.
Volunteers?