A U.S. Army veteran deported back to his home country of Jamaica over a decades-old misdemeanor “bounced check” case has been granted a new chance to set the record straight and return to his family in Georgia.
Last week, a Douglas County Superior Court judge granted 66-year-old Godfrey Wade’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus, essentially setting aside a 2008 conviction that led to his deportation to Jamaica back in February. He was previously held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention for roughly five months after a September 2025 traffic-related incident.
Wade’s criminal case is now back to its original legal position before the plea was entered, and his immigration case remains pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals.
“This is a step toward justice and a huge win for his case,” Wade’s attorney, Tony Kozycki, a U.S. Navy combat veteran, told Military.com following a Saturday news conference. “But the reality is Godfrey should never have been deported. Godfrey has now been given the opportunity to defend himself, and we are confident he will be able to return home.”
‘Bounced Check’ Plea Came With Consequences
Wade’s conviction stemmed from a check he wrote to Douglas County, Ga., to renew his vehicle registration in 2008. The check was returned for insufficient funds.
When Wade was notified of the problem, Kozycki said he entered a misdemeanor plea to resolve the criminal case, paid the amount due, and believed he had put the matter behind him.
But a routine traffic stop in September 2025 brought that decades-old conviction back. Wade had been found guilty in immigration court in absentia, without appearing in person to defend himself, or even knowing the immigration proceedings were happening.
“The writ of habeas corpus filing was to show that Godfrey did not know that the plea deal he made in the original bounced check case was going to result in these consequences,” Kozycki said. “The court recognized this was not due process, this is not what Godfrey was owed.”
Questions Regarding the Plea and Godfrey’s Knowledge
According to Wade’s habeas petition, reviewed by Military.com, there are fundamental questions about whether his plea was entered knowingly, voluntarily, and with the required understanding of the nature and consequences of the plea agreement.
Kozycki maintains that the government’s own immigration file shows Wade never knew that removal proceedings had been initiated against him.
The Notice to Appear, which is the document intended to notify Wade that the government was seeking to remove him from the U.S. and requiring him to appear in immigration court, mistakenly lists Wade’s address as the immigration court itself.
That same government file contains multiple returned envelopes showing that mail intended to notify Wade about his immigration proceedings was returned as undeliverable.
“Letters went to the wrong address,” Kozycki said. “The court address was incorrectly listed as Wade’s address. Multiple notices were returned unanswered. It’s all in the court filing. It’s all very clearly there.
“When he didn’t show up for that immigration hearing, he was ordered to be deported.”
Wade’s Military Service, Background
In the years before and after the plea was entered, Wade built a solid life as a U.S. Army solider, a father and grandfather.
He has lived legally in the U.S. since arriving from Jamaica as a child in the 1970s. But it was that 2008 plea that he entered over a personal check returned as insufficient funds that ultimately changed the course of his life.
“The real tragedy of it all is that Godfrey was never aware that he was put into immigration court,” Kozycki said. “He came to this country with a green card legally, and lived as a permanent resident for over 50 years.”
As a soldier in the Army, he was deployed overseas in defense of this country. In all that time, he had no knowledge that immigration proceedings had been initiated against him.
At Saturday’s news conference, Wade’s fiancé, April Watkins, explained the hardship the family has endured.
“He is a father of six. He is a grandfather of three,” Watkins said. “His oldest granddaughter is celebrating her 7th birthday. So, this is something he is missing out on, being that grandfather.
“We have been blessed to be able to see him in Jamaica, but still that comes at a great cost that a lot of people don’t really understand. It is a heavy, heavy toll.”
Army Veteran ‘Deserves Better’
Military.com helped kickstart Wade’s immigration appeal.
Kozycki said he first learned of Wade’s plight from a story posted online, becoming outraged as a fellow veteran that Wade was deported without due process.
“I read about it on Military.com,” he said. “I’m an attorney and a veteran, so is my wife and my mom. We are all veterans. As veterans, we don’t leave our own behind. I’m never going to stop fighting until Godfrey gets his day in court.”
Wade’s case has also gained legislative support.
Rep. Everton Blair Jr. (D-GA), of Georgia’s 13th congressional district, where Wade was living before his deportation, has introduced legislation to issue Wade permanent legal residency status immediately.
“Put plainly, what happened to Godfrey is just plain wrong and we should do everything we can in our capacity to right that wrong,” Blair said Saturday. “I want Godfrey to be returned home. [He is a] veteran, a family man, an honorable and decent human being who deserves to be here, continuing to build a life in America that he had already been doing for over 50 years.”
Kozycki is also turning Wade’s immigration fight into a political cause. He has launched his own campaign for Georgia’s seventh congressional district seat.
“Because of this case, I’m running for office,” Kozycki said. “In the process of fighting for Wade, I realized the only real way to fix this is to have real representation in Congress. An Army veteran really deserves better than this.”
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