A Detroit housing advocate who was supposed to help people keep their homes is headed to federal prison instead. On Wednesday, former nonprofit director Zina Thomas, 62, was sentenced to 90 months after prosecutors said she paid off a county insider to quietly yank homes from Wayne County's foreclosure list and funnel them into a theft-for-sale pipeline. Former Wayne County taxpayer assistant Jontae Jackson, 45, was sentenced in the related case to 66 months. Prosecutors say the scheme targeted low-income Detroiters already on the brink of losing their homes.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan, roughly 100 properties across Wayne County were steered into the scheme, with an estimated combined value of about $6.4 million. The office says the maneuver deprived the county of about $1.5 million in tax revenue. Thomas was convicted of federal program bribery, while Jackson was convicted of conspiracy to commit bribery and aggravated identity theft. Both were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert J. White. Federal officials credited the FBI and the Wayne County Register of Deeds' Mortgage & Deed Fraud Unit, and identified Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Particka as the prosecutor on the case.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
Prosecutors allege Thomas zeroed in on properties already facing tax foreclosure, then used fraudulent quitclaim deeds and bogus notarizations to move titles into the names of phony "interim owners." Once the paperwork trail was laid down, the houses were sold off to unsuspecting third parties.
The operation also depended on fake identification documents, utility bills and residency paperwork that were uploaded into the county system to stall foreclosure auctions, according to earlier local reporting. Those details were laid out in coverage by BridgeDetroit, which reported on the original complaint against Thomas.
Convictions and court filings
Court records in Jackson's case show he was convicted of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and aggravated identity theft, and they include a preliminary forfeiture order filed in January 2026. That order is reproduced on Leagle. Prosecutors announced the sentences on July 1 and said the investigation is still active as authorities work to identify buyers and any additional participants who may have been swept into the scheme.
Victims and local fallout
Many of the properties allegedly taken through the scam belonged to low-income residents trying to stave off tax foreclosure, and the case has sharpened concerns about deed fraud in Detroit neighborhoods. The United Community Housing Coalition said its leadership cooperated with investigators and suspended employees named in the probe, according to reporting by the Detroit Free Press. Local officials say clawing back lost tax revenue and untangling clouded titles will likely be a slow, technical process for affected homeowners.
Legal fallout
Along with lengthy prison terms, both defendants face potential forfeiture and restitution. The preliminary forfeiture order in Jackson's case is publicly available on Leagle, and the government's broader sentencing announcement appears on the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan website. Prosecutors say they will continue investigating to determine whether others should be charged or whether civil actions are warranted to try to return properties or funds to victims.
