NJ Cops Pinch 'Sovereign Citizen' On Forgery, Theft By Deception For Allegedly Filing Phony Deed In Attempt To Claim Title, Possession To Fannie REO

In Mullica Township, New Jersey, the Press of Atlantic City reports:

• Mullica Township police say a woman moved her family into a foreclosed home for more than three months and filed a fraudulent deed to act as if she owned the property. Police said that Jolanda S. Bordley-Jackson EL, 41, essentially stole a foreclosed home on Elwood Road worth about $300,000 that was already under contract to a family in Mullica.



• Listing agent Joe Pipitone, with Century 21 Graham Realty in Vineland, said that he first found out about the issue when a title company found the forged deed on record. Fannie Mae, the owner of the property following the foreclosure, hired an attorney soon after, and the police were contacted.



• But it took officials months to resolve the complicated legal questions in the case, Capt. John Thompson said, given the fake deed and uncertainty about whether the former owners made any sort of deal with Bordley-Jackson EL. The woman even changed the locks and put the utilities in her name. The investigation eventually confirmed that the woman was indeed illegally living in the home.



• Mullica police charged her with theft by deception and forgery, with another forgery charge filed in Hamilton Township since that is where she filed the deed. She was taken to the Atlantic County Justice Facility with bail set at $85,000, with a 10 percent option.



• Thompson said that the woman is a member of the Moorish Science Temple of America, a small organization and spiritual group with some adherents who believe they do not have to obey laws. He also said that Bordley-Jackson EL is originally from the Vineland area, and that while he was unsure how many family members were actually living in the home, it did include children of various ages.



• Pipitone said the home is still under contract, and that the family moving in is not happy about the situation.

Source: Woman charged with forging deed to 'steal' house in Mullica Township.