BREAKING NEWS – Detroit, Michigan – A Detroit woman who was the director of a local non-profit, has been charged for her role in a scheme that stole houses from several residents, police said.
Zina Thomas, 60, was arrested and is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.
Federal officials say that more than 30 houses in Wayne County, mostly Detroit, were impacted by the scheme that targeted low-income residents at risk of facing tax foreclosure.
“I am being treated like a common criminal and I was doing these people a favor!” Thomas yelled at the judge during her arraignment. “These people were facing tax foreclosures, and I took their property from them so they could avoid being hassled by the IRS!”