Detroit Deed Fraud: 5 Real Cases and How to Check Your Deed

In July 2026, a federal judge sentenced two people over a deed scheme that involved about 100 Wayne County properties¹. It is the clearest recent example of Detroit deed fraud: fake deeds filed on homes whose owners were behind on property taxes.

Most Wayne County owners will never face this. But the cases below share a few patterns, and checking your own record is free.

How did a 100-property deed fraud scheme work in Detroit?

A housing nonprofit director filed fake deeds on homes facing tax foreclosure. A county tax worker took bribes to halt those foreclosures with fake papers.

Zina Thomas ran homeownership programs at a Detroit housing nonprofit. She picked homes facing possible tax foreclosure and moved them with fraudulent quitclaim deeds, often to "interim owners" who did not exist^1,2.

A deed is the paper that moves ownership of a home. A quitclaim deed hands over whatever share of a property the signer has, with no promises attached.

Thomas, who was also a real estate agent, sold many of the homes to new buyers. To clear the way, she bribed Jontae Jackson, then a taxpayer assistant in the Wayne County Treasurer's Office.

Jackson uploaded fake driver's licenses, utility bills and tax exemption forms into the county's tax system. That halted the foreclosures and cost the county an estimated $1.5 million in tax money¹.

100

properties across Wayne County, mostly in Detroit, were caught up in the scheme. Their total estimated value was about $6.4 million.

Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan, July 1, 2026

Thomas got 90 months in federal prison and Jackson got 66 months. The FBI ran the case, with "significant investigative assistance" from the Register of Deeds' Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit¹. The Wayne County Register of Deeds, sometimes called the recorder of deeds, is the county office that records deeds.

Which deed fraud cases has Wayne County seen?

The court and news records show the same moves again and again: fake deeds on homes in tax trouble, homes that look empty, and homes of owners who have died. Here is the case file, in order.

2005A joint fraud unit starts. Register of Deeds Bernard Youngblood, Prosecutor Kym Worthy and then Sheriff Warren Evans set up the Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit³.
2016 to 2017
A fake shortcut to tax-lien homes
Detroit · 2016 to 2017
Up to $5,000 for a path to title that did not exist
Prosecutors said people paid up to $5,000 for what sellers called an "Acceleration Tax Lien Foreclosure Process" to get into empty Detroit homes. They got forged affidavits or fake quitclaim deeds, recorded with the Register of Deeds.
In 2017, Prosecutor Worthy charged four people over 19 homes and $21,000 taken from 23 victims. We could not find how that case ended.
In a separate case, Register of Deeds staff noticed what one of the four was doing, and police set up an undercover deal. A jury convicted him of forging a real estate document, and the Court of Appeals upheld it in 2019.
Sources: Fox 2 Detroit, Sept. 26, 2017⁴; Michigan Court of Appeals, April 23, 2019⁵
2018
A deed for a house the seller did not own
West side, Detroit · 2018
Properly notarized, but legally meaningless
A mother of four paid a man $800 for a duplex. They printed a blank deed form at the library, had it notarized at her bank and filed it with the Register of Deeds.
But the Detroit Land Bank had owned the house since 2014, so the deed meant nothing. She later took ownership through the Land Bank's Buy Back program.
NBC News and Outlier Media found this "fake landlord" scam has hit Detroiters for at least a decade.
Source: NBC News and Outlier Media, Nov. 10, 2021⁶
2023 to 2024
A deed "signed" the year the owner died
Santa Clara Street, Detroit · 2023 to 2024
A notary whose commission had run out years before
A house had been in one family for more than 50 years. A fake quitclaim deed said the owner signed it away for $30,000 in 2010, the year she died.
The notary wrote that the commission ran to 2015, but the state says it expired in 2006. The family won the house back in civil court, at a cost of "right about $20,000."
Source: WDIV Local 4, March 18, 2024⁷
2024 to 2026
Shut out of a home she rebuilt
Britain Street, east side · 2021 to 2026
Back home, but still fighting in court
In 2021, a Detroit woman paid $3,800 cash for a damaged brick house and put $27,000 into repairs. Storm damage and mold forced her out for a while in 2024. When she came back in April, her keys no longer worked, and in July it happened again.
The fraud unit confirmed a fake deed had been filed, and she lived with relatives for over a year.
She is home now, but the ownership fight is not over. The company that filed the deed has countersued, asking for $50,000 for repairs and other costs. The county's investigation is still open.
Source: The Conversation, June 22, 2026⁸
April 2, 2025A new Michigan felony. Knowingly drafting or submitting a document to a register of deeds to defraud an owner can bring up to 10 years in prison. Registers may send evidence to the county prosecutor.
July 1, 2026Prison in the 100-property case. Thomas and Jackson are sentenced¹.
October 2026More bills. State Sen. Sylvia Santana and other lawmakers are pushing bills to make fake deeds faster and cheaper to challenge and to give victims more time to sue.

Sources for the 2025 law and the new bills: Michigan Legislature, MCL 565.371⁹; Axios Detroit, Oct. 21, 2026¹⁰.

How common is deed fraud in Wayne County?

For any one home, the odds are low. The county's fraud unit lists 2,343 cases opened since 2005, and the county has nearly 900,000 parcels, or separate pieces of land.^3,11

Since 2005, the fraud unit has opened 2,343 cases and returned 393 homes

Wayne County Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit totals, as listed on its page in October 2026

Show the numbers

Cases opened	2,343
Search warrants	1,172
Arrest warrants	505
Stolen homes returned	393
Convictions	347

Source: Wayne County Register of Deeds, Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit, checked October 25, 2026. The page also lists 13,013 inquiries.

The unit's page may lag. In October 2026, Axios reported 15,889 inquiries and 2,913 cases¹⁰.

Criminal charges are the exception. In 2019, the unit looked into 122 complaints and brought charges in 25, and 14 had ended in convictions by late 2021⁶. Even when police get involved, owners usually need their own court case to clear the title⁸.

What do Detroit's deed fraud cases teach owners?

The same weak spots show up in case after case. If your home has one of them, check your record more often.

Tax trouble. The 100-property scheme picked homes facing tax foreclosure¹. A Michigan State University housing lawyer says fraudsters seem to use public tax foreclosure lists to find targets⁸. If you are behind, the Wayne County Treasurer has payment plans that can stop a tax foreclosure¹².
An empty look. An untidy lawn, piled-up mail and flyers on the porch make a home look abandoned, and fraudsters look for that. Still, any home can be a target¹³.
An owner who died or moved. The county prosecutor says it "often happens when the rightful owner is elderly, has recently died or has moved to a nursing home"¹⁴.
A notary stamp. A notary is an official who checks ID and witnesses signatures. The duplex and Santa Clara Street deeds were both notarized^6,7, and federal prosecutors alleged that deeds in the 100-property scheme were falsely notarized². A stamp proves little.
Cash sales. Cash deals skip the title search a lender would require⁶. The county tells buyers to get a title search and not to pay cash¹⁵.
A recorded deed. Michigan law says a register of deeds can't reject a document for its content if it meets the recording rules¹⁶. Recorded does not mean real.

Undoing a fake deed costs real money. The Santa Clara Street family spent about $20,000, and Register Youngblood told WDIV it can cost $20,000 to $80,000 in attorney fees^7,13.

For how these schemes work in general, see our guide to deed theft.

How do I check my deed with the Wayne County Register of Deeds?

Search your own name for free on the county's official records site. Look for any deed, mortgage or other paper you did not sign.

Open the official search. Go to the county's records search, a free index of Wayne County property records. Links to the county's old land records site now lead to a notice page^11,17.
Search your name as grantor. The grantor is the person who signs property away. Type your last name, a space, then your first name, and press Enter. A deed you never signed is a red flag.
Search again as grantee. The grantee is the person who receives property. You should see the deed that made you the owner.
Check the date range. On October 25, 2026, the form said records were "Certified through 09/08/2026." A filing from the last few weeks may not show yet.
Open anything you don't know. The free search shows names, dates and document types, not the document itself. To see it, use a paid session or ask the office¹⁷.

Wayne County Register of Deeds official records search page with grantor, grantee, document type and date range fields, and a note on free and Pay As You Go searches — Screenshot of the Wayne County Register of Deeds' Official Records Search page, taken October 25, 2026.

Wayne County deed search: four ways and what they cost
Way	Cost	What you get
Free online search	Free	Names, dates and document types, but no images
Pay As You Go online	$6 for 15 minutes or $24 for an hour, plus $2 a page (up to $10 a document)	Document images and copies
At 400 Monroe St., 7th Floor	$5 a property, waived for your own home with ID	A staff search. Certified copies cost $10
By mail	$15 per address	A staff search, requested by mail

The fees above come from the search site and the county's search services page^17,18. Office visits have needed an appointment since October 1, 2025¹¹.

How do I set up the Wayne County property fraud alert?

Register on the county's records site, then create a free Property Alert for your name or address. You get an email when a matching document is recorded.

Register. Open the Property Alert page and click Register. Enter your name and email, make a password, and confirm the email from Vanguard Support¹⁹.
Create an alert. Type a keyword, such as your name or address. Or find your deed and build the alert from its details¹⁹.
Add every name. The page lets you enter more than one name, including a business name if one owns the home²⁰.
Read each email. It links to the new document. If you don't know what it is, the office asks you to call 313-224-5860¹⁹.

Wayne County Register of Deeds Property Alert page with two options, Enter a Keyword and Find a Document, for setting up a free alert — Screenshot of the Wayne County Register of Deeds' Property Alert page, taken October 25, 2026.

Own a home in Oakland County too? It runs its own free alert, and our county alert map lists it with other large counties.

It does not stop a filing. The Register of Deeds must record papers that meet the rules¹⁶.
It does not warn you first. The email comes after a matching document is recorded¹⁹.
It does not text you. The county's page and flyer describe email alerts only²⁰.
It does not promise to reach you. The county's terms say it is not liable if a notice is never sent²⁰.

How Still My Home helps

What if the next title search on your home led to you?

Every tool above works after a fake deed is already on file. The alert emails you, the fraud unit investigates, and a court can cancel the deed. None of them asks a buyer or lender to hear from you before a deal.

A Still My Home notice, recorded on your Wayne County title, makes that request. Title companies, lenders and buyers who find it are asked to check with the owner before they go ahead. Each check reaches you as an "Is this you?" email, or a text as well if you choose, and you reply yes or no.

Cost: $199 a year per home, in any US county. The notice is a request, so a sale can still close.
Restoration Promise: if a forged deed or other fake paper is recorded on a protected home, we work to get it cancelled, paying up to $1M in restoration costs. Not insurance. Not available in NY or Iowa. Terms apply.

Walk through the notice, step by step

What should I do if I find a fake deed on my Detroit home?

Report it to the Register of Deeds fraud unit, then talk to a lawyer about a quiet title case. The unit investigates crimes, but it does not give legal advice.

Call the fraud unit hotline at (313) 224-5869. It takes calls 24 hours a day, and you can also file a complaint online^3,21.

The unit does not handle emergencies, squatters or landlord-tenant issues. For an emergency, call 911³.

To clear your title, you may need a quiet title action. That is a lawsuit, filed in circuit court, that asks a judge to settle who owns the land²².

If someone is convicted under Michigan's real estate forgery law, the court must declare the forged document invalid and have its order recorded with the county²³. Many cases never reach a conviction, so plan for the civil case. Our quiet title guide explains the steps.

Who to call about deed fraud in Wayne County
Who	What for	How to reach them
Register of Deeds fraud unit	A deed or mortgage you did not sign	(313) 224-5869, 24 hours, or the online complaint form
Register of Deeds office	Copies, certified copies, appointments	313-224-5850, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., or email
Lakeshore Legal Aid	Free civil legal help if you qualify	(888) 783-8190 or apply online
Home for Generations Clinic (Lakeshore Legal Aid)	Free advice on title or probate trouble with a family home, if you qualify	Fridays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 3200 Greenfield Rd., Ste. 130, Dearborn. Next date: Nov. 20, 2026
State Bar of Michigan referral	Finding a private lawyer	$25 fee, then up to 25 minutes free with the lawyer

The Register of Deeds office's email address is rodhelp@waynecountymi.gov²⁴.

These contacts come from the county, Lakeshore Legal Aid and the State Bar^24,25,26,27. Probate is the court process that settles a person's property after they die. Phone numbers, sign-up pages, fees and clinic dates on this page were checked on October 25, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a copy of my deed in Wayne County, Michigan?

Find it on the county's records search, then use a Pay As You Go session to view and print it. A session costs $6 for 15 minutes, and copies cost $2 a page, up to $10 a document. Certified copies cost $10 and come only from the office or by mail.

How do I find out who owns a property in Detroit?

Look for the most recent deed on the county's records site. The free search works by name and document type, and a paid session lets you search more ways. Office staff can also search a property for $5, but the fraud unit does not look up owners.

What happened to Wayne County Fraud Guard?

Fraud Guard was the alert on the county's older waynecountylandrecords.com site. That site now points to a county notice page, and the Register of Deeds offers a free Property Alert on its current records site instead. If you signed up years ago, set up a new alert there to be safe.

Can someone take you off a house deed without you knowing?

Not legally, but a forger can file a fake deed without telling you, and the Register of Deeds must record papers that meet the format rules. A fake deed can cloud your title, which means it casts doubt on who owns the home until a court clears it. Searching your name and setting up the free alert help you find out early.

Do people go to jail for deed fraud in Michigan?

Yes. Knowingly submitting a document to a register of deeds to defraud an owner can bring up to 10 years in prison, and forging a deed up to 14. In the 100-property Detroit case, a federal judge gave two people 90 and 66 months.

Check your Wayne County record, then set the free alert

Both take a few minutes on the county's site and cost nothing. Then see how a recorded notice asks lenders and buyers to check with you first.

Search Wayne County records See how Still My Home works

Sources

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan. Former Wayne County Treasurer's Office Employee, Local Non-Profit Director Both Sentenced In Connection With Bribery Conspiracy. July 1, 2026.
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan. Local Non-Profit Director Charged in Pernicious "Deed Fraud" Scheme Targeting Low Income Detroiters. Feb. 28, 2024.
Wayne County Register of Deeds. Mortgage & Deed Fraud Unit. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Fox 2 Detroit. 53 felonies filed against 4 accused in $21K scam. Sept. 26, 2017.
Michigan Court of Appeals. People v Webb, No. 340907 (unpublished opinion, via CourtListener). April 23, 2019.
NBC News and Outlier Media. The 'fake landlord' scam destroys lives in Detroit. But culprits rarely face consequences. Nov. 10, 2021.
WDIV Local 4. House theft scam: How criminals target homeowners with fake deeds. March 18, 2024.
Donovan McCarty, The Conversation. Deed fraud can cause vulnerable Detroiters to lose their homes. June 22, 2026.
Michigan Legislature. MCL 565.371, as amended by 2024 Public Act 154, effective April 2, 2025. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Axios Detroit. New bills target deed fraud, a big problem in Detroit. Oct. 21, 2026.
Wayne County Register of Deeds. Notice page on appointments, 2026 fees, records search and Property Alert. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
City of Detroit. Deed Fraud Town Hall Resources (PDF handout). March 2026.
WDIV Local 4. Deed fraud is 'growing crime wave': What to know. July 20, 2026.
Wayne County Prosecutor. Mortgage & Deed Fraud Unit. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Wayne County Register of Deeds. Tips to Avoid Fraud. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Michigan Legislature. MCL 565.201. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Wayne County Register of Deeds. Official Records Search, Advanced Search. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Wayne County Register of Deeds. Search Services and Copy Requests. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Wayne County Register of Deeds. Real Property Fraud Alert Service (flyer). Aug. 15, 2025.
Wayne County Register of Deeds. Property Alert. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Wayne County Register of Deeds. Complaint Submission Form. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Michigan Legislature. MCL 600.2932. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Michigan Legislature. MCL 750.248b. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Wayne County Register of Deeds. Contact Us. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Lakeshore Legal Aid. Free civil legal services. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
Lakeshore Legal Aid. Home for Generations Clinic. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.
State Bar of Michigan. Legal Resource and Referral Center. Checked Oct. 25, 2026.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws and county practices vary and change. For advice about your situation, talk to a lawyer licensed in your state. Written by Mo Ayadi, founder of Still My Home, which offers a home title protection service.

Detroit Deed Fraud: Wayne County's Case File and How to Check Your Deed

Key takeaways