The first Filipino American judge in Cook County, Illinois has been sentenced to one year in jail in a $1.4 million mortgage fraud case, reports the Chicago Sun Times.
A tearful Jessica Arong O’Brien called herself an embarrassment and admitted her guilt prior to be sentenced.
“I should have known better.” she told U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin. O’Brien repeatedly described herself as “stupid,” saying her family “is forever marred from this.”
She is married to Cook County Judge Brendan O’Brien.
According to the Asian Journal, O’Brien migrated to the United States from Cebu, Philippines. She received a bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Food Management, before getting a law degree from John Marshall Law School . She is the first Asian elected president of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois and served on the Illinois State Bar Association’s board of directors.
A jury found her guilty of lying to lenders and pocketing $325,000 during the purchase of two properties more than a decade ago. The crimes occurred prior to her becoming a judge.
“Obviously, you’re in great pain,” Judge Durkin told O’Brien. “You lived a good life helping others,” Durkin said. according to the Sun Times, “and that has to count for something.”
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