How do I reactivate an Alcatel phone with deleted Google account?

I have an old (unlocked, I think) Alcatel AT&T-branded phone that I have not used for years. I charged it up and reset it to factory with the Vol-Down + Start and booted. I was greeted with "This phone is connected to an existing email account". I entered the account ...@gmail.com and Google asked for the last password I remembered. I added that in, yes, still had it. After about a minute, it came back with "That email account has been deleted and we need more information." But it does not say what or how to continue. I never deleted that account and actually have never used the email. I had to create a Google account years back when I got the phone. I do not have any other Google (and never will) account, so they seem to own MY phone. How can I get this working?