Retired Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Thomas “Tam” Wilson Jr., who presided over one of the most publicized voter fraud cases in the country when Mayor Xavier Saurez was challenged by Joseph Carollo—died at 71.

Wilson died Friday after a long illness, according to his 19-year judicial assistant, Patty Mendez. Wilson, who lived in Miami, did not want a funeral service and will be cremated, she said.

A native of Oregon, where his father was a federal judge, Wilson graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1971. After a brief stint as a law firm associate, he went to work for the Dade County public defender's office for three years before returning to private practice.