Squatter pleads guilty to occupying vacant house in Jamaica and providing false documents to authorities: DA – QNS

A Brooklyn squatter admitted to illegally occupying a Jamaican home and provided false documents to authorities to claim the property as a legal tenant.

Lance White-Hunt, 24, of 18th Street in South Slope, pleaded guilty to first-degree identity theft, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and first-degree tampering with physical evidence, the district attorney announced Friday. district of Queens, Melinda Kats.

As part of his plea, White-Hunt is expected to pay restitution to cover the victim’s attorney fees for a civil suit he filed against the rightful owner and its broker.

“Our first priority when dealing with squatters is to keep intruders out of the home,” Katz said. “This squatter’s actions were particularly egregious as he brazenly took the legal owner to court as part of his false claim as a tenant.”

According to the charges, on or around February 23, 2024, the owner of a home on Lakewood Avenue along Van Wyck Highway in Jamaica listed it for rental through a broker from Top Nest Properties.

For several weeks, the broker visited the property several times a week and found that the entire house was vacant, that all the windows were closed and in good repair, and that both front doors were locked. It also had a working key for both front doors.

On March 1, the broker made a regular stop at the property and noticed that the locks on the front door leading to the studio of the residence had been changed and that her key no longer worked. Three days later, the broker arrived at the residence and noticed that the locks on the front door leading to the upstairs unit had been changed. She also observed White-Hunt inside the residence.

Police were called to the home and White-Hunt said he had been residing there since January. He provided a purported lease with the broker and Top Nest Properties listed as owners. The broker reviewed the lease and determined that she had never seen the document and that her signature was forged. The broker’s statements were corroborated by the owner of Top Nest Properties.

The next day, police from Jamaica’s 113th Precinct arrived on scene and once again, White-Hunt provided a bill from National Grid and AT&T as purported proof of residency. Both companies later confirmed that the account numbers provided did not exist in their official records.

On March 14, White-Hunt filed a lawsuit against the owner’s LLC, the broker and Top Nest Properties for illegal lockout. As part of the civil suit, White-Hunt filed a residential lease which was found to be false and the document was a different lease than the one provided by the defendant to officers on site on March 4. The civil suit was later dismissed with prejudice. .

Following an investigation by the District Attorney’s Office, White-Hunt was arrested on May 13 by members of the District Attorney’s Detective Bureau.

Queen’s Supreme Court Justice Toni Comino ordered White-Hunt to return to court on Nov. 6, when he is expected to be sentenced to five years’ probation, 20 days of community service and to pay $3,900 in restitution.

We not only held the defendant accountable, but also obtained restitution for the victim who spent a considerable amount of money in legal fees and reparations because of the defendant’s actions,” Katz said.

Late last month, Katz and Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato organized an informative webinar on ways in which landlords can protect their properties from squatters, which she acknowledged is a “huge problem” across the borough.

“My office is committed to protecting property owners from fraud, scams and criminal trespass in Queens,” Katz said.