Home stealing ex-lawyer gets jail time for dirty deeds

FOX 2 (WJBK) - Donna Alford is bringing down a bully known as Jack B. Wolfe – an ex-lawyer turned convicted felon.

"I thank the court for taking the time to hear personally the heartache that was caused by Jack B. Wolfe," Alford said.

It's sentencing day and Jack is going down, hard.

"The home that she grew up in! You stole it," said Judge Kevin Cox.

It finally ended a nightmare that Donna and her family have lived, for years.

"The court has to consider your brashness, your coldhearted-ness, when coming up with an appropriate sentence," Cox said.

This all started because a dead person can't sign a deed.

In late 2020, Donna Alford told Rob Wolchek that her father's house had been left to her when he passed away.

"(But) the deed had been changed and they said my dad had signed the deed," she said.

Someone had stolen the home.

Donna had proof that the signature on the quit claim deed was a forgery. It was signed supposedly by her father George Booth in 2017 - but George Booth had been dead for two years when the deed was signed.

Donna even brought Wolchek her father's ashes. Donna had another home left to her, which had also been quit claim-deeded to a third party. This deed had "her" forged signature on it.

Both deeds had been prepared by a man Donna had never heard of – Jack B. Wolfe.  

He is an ex-lawyer with a history of shady business dealings.

Wolchek (in 2020): "So you're just a totally innocent party here?"

Wolfe: "I didn't say that."

The houses had been deeded to dummy companies. Both deeds were notarized by Kack's alleged partner in the scheme, Cordia Pennington.

Pennington (in 2020): "Channel 2?  I'm not being on TV or nothing like that am I?"

She was another person that Donna had never heard of.

Wolchek confronted both Cordia and Jack.

Pennington (in 2020): "I don't know what's going on with something about, that was notorized and that was two years ago."

Wolchek: "So this is the paper, right? And see. you notorized it in 2017. That's your notary stamp and that's your signature?"

Pennington: "Yes."

Wolchek aired his story in February 2021 and both Jack and Cordia played dumb in it. But both were charged criminally shortly after.

Last summer Cordia Pennington pleaded guilty to four felonies related to Donna's deeds.

Jack Wolfe decided to take his chances and go to trial.  Jack didn't want a jury to decide his case, he wanted Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Cox to decide his guilt or innocence.

Jack looked pretty confident as he and his attorney Adam Clements strolled into the bench trial.

Donna took the stand and says not only were the deeds changed, but locks were changed as well.

"There were people there working on the house that stated that they were there because somebody they worked for, was named Jack," she said.

Donna's daughter Rhonda testified she discovered the deeds.

Prosecutor: "The deed purports to be drafted by a Jack Wolfe. Had you ever heard of Jack Wolfe. prior to coming to court?"

Rhonda: "I've never heard of him before in my life."

Also testifying, is Vonzina Shabazz who claimed the same thing happened to her. She discovered a property she'd inherited had been quit claim-deeded under her nose into a company allegedly controlled by Jack Wolfe.

Prosecutor: "Did you, Mrs. Shabazz, sign that quit claim deed?"

Shabazz: "No I didn't."

Prosecutor: "There's a signature on there that purports to be your signature. Is that your signature?"

Shabazz: "It looks like it's my signature, but I didn't sign this paper."

Prosecutor: "Did you appear before the notary on there, Cordia Pennington?"

Shabazz: "No. I don't even know who this is."

Wayne County deed fraud investigator Mary Williams-Jones says all the dirty deed roads lead to Jack.

Prosecutor: "There is a signature line on the bottom of the document that indicates who filed the document, is that correct?"

Williams-Jones: "Yes."

Prosecutor: "And what is that name?"

Williams-Jones: "Jack Wolfe."

Prosecutor LaToya Willis rests her case. Jack doesn't take the stand - nor offer any witnesses in his defense.

He was found guilty on all counts. Two counts of forgery of a document to affect real property and two counts of uttering and publishing.

Which brings us to the sentencing - and Donna's victim impact statement, and how her childhood home, a gift to her and her family by her loving dad, was snatched in a scheme with Jack Wolfe's paws all over it.

"When I found that Jack B. Wolfe, who is now convicted, had carelessly stolen in the most heartbreaking way, ever, by stating that my father - well after he had been deceased -  had signed over to him his precious home, this re-opened the wound that was not yet healed," she said.

But there were no tears from Jack.

"What you did in this case was heartless, callous, conniving and calculated for all intents and purposes steal two homes from Ms. Alford," said Judge Cox.

Judge Kevin Cox says prison is is well deserved for Wolfe.

"It is the sentence of this court that you are to serve no less than one year and no more than 14 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections," Cox said.

After court, Donna says Jack Wolfe belongs in state prison.

"I hope it treats him just as dirty as he's been," she said. "Jack B. Wolfe and Cordelia Pennington in the Hhhall of Shame."

Hey, that's Wolchek's line!  

"You're in the Hhhhhall of Shame."

Donna was not happy that Jack Wolfe wasn't taken immediately into custody.  He is on a tether and must report to the Wayne County Jail by April 26th.

Jack's lawyer, Adam Clements said he and his client disagree with the court and are appealing.

"We look at the evidence totally differently" Clements said. "But we respect the process nonetheless and we're hopeful that we'll be successful in appeal."