Former Cook County Judge Jessica Arong O'Brien Sentenced in South Side Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Case from 2017–2024 (U.S. Attorney's Office latest release: Feb. 15, 2018; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Jessica Arong O'Brien, an Illinois attorney who became a Cook County judge in 2012, was convicted by a federal jury on Feb. 15, 2018, of fraudulently obtaining about $1.4 million in mortgage and commercial loans tied to two South Side investment properties years before she took the bench [1] [3].

Outcome: U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin sentenced O'Brien on Dec. 20, 2018, to a year and a day in prison, the Chicago Sun-Times reported [3]. Her judgment ordered $660,000 in restitution [5]. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed her convictions in 2020, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear her case in 2021 [4] [7], and in 2024 it upheld an order letting the government take about $117,000 from her state retirement accounts toward that restitution [5]. Co-defendant Maria Bartko, a loan officer, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven months, according to the court docket [6].

How the scheme worked

According to evidence at trial, as described by prosecutors [1]:

1. The purchase: O'Brien used fraudulently obtained mortgage proceeds to buy an investment property in the 600 block of West 46th Street in Chicago.
2. The refinancing: She fraudulently refinanced the mortgage on that property and on a second investment property in the 800 block of West 54th Street.
3. A credit line: She then fraudulently obtained a commercial line of credit to maintain the properties.
4. The sale: She sold the properties to Bartko and to a straw buyer whom O'Brien knew would fraudulently obtain mortgage loans.

Prosecutors said the scheme ran from 2004 to 2007. During that time O'Brien worked full time as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the Illinois Department of Revenue, owned O'Brien Realty LLC and worked part time as a loan officer at Amronbanc Mortgage Corp. in Lincolnwood, where Bartko was also a loan officer [1]. The Sun-Times reported that prosecutors said O'Brien pocketed $325,000 [3].

The people charged

Jessica Arong O'Brien, of Chicago (50 at conviction)

• Indictment (April 2017): one count of mail fraud affecting a financial institution and one count of bank fraud [2]. The Sun-Times described it as the rare indictment of a sitting Cook County judge on federal fraud charges [3].
• Verdict (Feb. 15, 2018): guilty on both counts [1]. The Sun-Times reported she did not leave the bench until September 2018 [3].
• Sentence (Dec. 20, 2018): a year and a day in prison. Prosecutors had asked for two years. Judge Durkin credited her record of public service but told her, "I still think you have difficulty admitting you did anything wrong," according to the Sun-Times [3].
• Appeals: Convictions affirmed, United States v. O'Brien, 953 F.3d 449 (7th Cir. 2020), decided March 13, 2020 [4]. The Supreme Court denied her petition for certiorari on Jan. 11, 2021 (No. 20-767) [7]. On Oct. 2, 2024, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the turnover of retirement funds toward her $660,000 restitution debt (No. 23-2267) [5].

Maria Bartko, of Chicago

• Charge: one count of mail fraud affecting a financial institution [2].
• Plea and sentence: pleaded guilty before trial [1]; sentenced Feb. 26, 2019, to seven months, with judgment entered Feb. 28, 2019, according to the docket [6].

The investigation was conducted by FBI Chicago and the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Office of Inspector General [1].

Red flags

• A seller who also arranges your loan. Someone acting as owner, agent and loan officer on the same deal has a conflict lenders often never see.
• Requests to sign papers you haven't read, or to accept "help" with income or asset figures on a loan application.
• Being asked to buy as a stand-in for someone else. Straw buyers can end up liable for the loan.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Read every page of a loan application before you sign, and correct anything that is wrong.
2. Ask for independent counsel and an independent lender when the seller is steering the financing.
3. Report suspected mortgage fraud to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or to the FHFA Office of Inspector General hotline.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Jessica Arong O'Brien, Chicago	N.D. Ill. (Judge Durkin)	Convicted by jury Feb. 15, 2018, on mail fraud and bank fraud; sentenced Dec. 20, 2018, to 1 year and 1 day; $660,000 restitution; convictions affirmed 2020; cert denied Jan. 11, 2021; restitution turnover affirmed Oct. 2, 2024	[1], [3], [4], [5], [7]
Maria Bartko, Chicago	N.D. Ill. (Judge Durkin)	Pleaded guilty to mail fraud affecting a financial institution; sentenced Feb. 26, 2019, to 7 months	[1], [6]

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Federal Jury Convicts Illinois Attorney in Mortgage Fraud Scheme," Feb. 15, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/federal-jury-convicts-illinois-attorney-mortgage-fraud-scheme
2. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Federal Grand Jury Indicts Illinois Attorney in Mortgage Fraud Scheme," April 12, 2017. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-illinois-attorney-mortgage-fraud-scheme
3. Jon Seidel, "Ex-Judge Jessica Arong O'Brien breaks down before getting 1 year in prison," Chicago Sun-Times, Dec. 20, 2018. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/12/20/18435938/ex-judge-jessica-arong-o-brien-breaks-down-before-getting-1-year-in-prison
4. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, United States v. O'Brien, No. 19-1004, decided March 13, 2020 (via GovInfo). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ca7-19-01004/pdf/USCOURTS-ca7-19-01004-0.pdf
5. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, United States v. O'Brien, No. 23-2267, Oct. 2, 2024 (via Justia). https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca7/23-2267/23-2267-2024-10-02.html
6. CourtListener, docket for United States v. O'Brien et al., No. 1:17-cr-00239 (N.D. Ill.). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/7208689/united-states-v-obrien/
7. Supreme Court of the United States, docket No. 20-767, O'Brien v. United States. https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/20-767.html

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