a Detroit woman who works at a nonprofit that helps people stay in their homes is facing a string of federal charges prosecutors say instead of keeping people in their homes Zena Thomas worked to steal them right out from under the owners Megan wood shows us how this alleged scheme worked with the help of one of the victims in the case we're here on Second Avenue where the United Community Housing Coalition office is now this nonprofit helps detroiters with low income get housing assistance it's
also where Zena Thomas was the director of home ownership programs it's saddened to see these individuals in a position of trust taking advantage of the very ones that they're hired to help Wayne County Register of Deeds Bernie Youngblood says they first noticed something was off when they received several complaints into their mortgage and deed Fraud Unit number of people that we started investigating were coming out of the same location we started Ed recognizing the different notaries who hap
pen to be working for the same Facility by November of last year the unit was meeting with Detroit police FBI and the Department of Justice investigators discovered that Thomas and others would allegedly file multiple fraud quick claim deeds transferring the owners of these Target properties from victims to nonexistent interim owners then sell them to someone else the wire transfers would go to to her realy company then allegedly she would transfer it to her personal account Bernie Youngblood sa
ys on Wayne County Register of Deeds website there's a way to stay on top of what's happening with your property anytime a transaction comes through our office in your name your property address you'll be able to get a notification from US that a transaction is being processed because you were at the closing you do nothing if it is a problem and say wait that's not my signature then you call our fraud team even though Zena Thomas is a charged this is still an open investigation so if you had any
interaction with her or are concerned that you may be a victim we'll put those resources on click on detroit.com in Detroit I'm Megan Woods Local 4 all right Megan according to the FBI in 2021 real estate fraud cost Americans $350 million in Damages
Comments
Hopefully she will be in prison for some time.... Just sickening.
It’s some dirty people in this world
Despicable. It's everywhere. DOJ needs to wake up and investigate on a yearly basis
May what’s done in the dark continually be brought out into the light!
Greed …
Absolutely NO shock here this usual usual was gonna make it rain one way or another and o blame the idiots who hired her!
Shame, shame.
Damn she got it away with it once and kept going
This happened to my mom in New Jersey and no one wants to help her … I’m glad they are looking into this here
I hope Everybody involved gets proper jail time & pay possible fines. Along with the Homeowners getting their homes back all expenses paid for the fraud & inconvience.
Imagine my surprise at seeing the perpetrator, and even more shocking was the affable old gentleman who exposed her. One would never guess.
You wait. I've seen these cases dozens of times. The lady stealing from the poorest among us will find she has widespread community support for her stealing. Wait until she goes to trial see of she doesn't have a dozen unemployed people coming everyday to the courthouse to show her they believe she did nothing wrong.
It’s some more people stealing with her too. She is probably not the only one.
WE ARE OUR OWN WORST ENEMY!!
How her job she took on was to help but she out here hurting people...
I'M EXPERIENCING THIS NOW WITH DETROIT LAND BANK I THINK IT'S A SCAM GOING ON WITH THE INSPECTOR,OCCUPYING MANAGER,AND THE ONE U TALK B4 U GET TO THE MANAGER I BEEN IN A HOME FIVE YEARS BEEN LIVING IN DETROIT ALL MY LIFE TRYING TO DO BETTER BUT U GOT PEOPLE IN PLACES THAT GIVE HELP TO ONLY CERTAIN PEOPLE AND WILL GIVE U A HARD TIME FACT'S💯💙
Job no job career no career same mindset jus a dirty generation
I am so glad and happy this Miss Thomas was caught.
Best place I ever left! The news is always entertaining to watch from the outside looking in though
Happens all the time in Missouri. The governor is behind it with a squad of judges he appoints and other govt officials like assessors, prosecutors, recorders, sheriffs, cops, city officials and attorneys. Ask Theresa Kenney in Jasper County or mike Parsons.😊