Four Men Accused Of Illegally Renting Out Foreclosed Homes
By Jim Bochnowski in News on Jul 3, 2015 3:35PM
Could you be renting from a "squatting" landlord?
After an extensive investigation, four men have been charged in a "bold and brazen" scheme to squat in and rent 14 expensive, foreclosed homes in the Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The four men, who were charged with felony theft and burglary, say they consider themselves "sovereign citizens," a subset of Americans who truly believe "he or she is above all laws." While they all knew each other through the sovereign citizens movement, each man acted independently of one another in performing their illegal business practices, authorities said.
The men were incredibly skilled in pulling off this scheme, with Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, telling the Tribune, "On some of these blocks, they blended right in. They knew how to play the game." The men entered the abandoned homes, changed the locks, then forged official-looking documents from the county claiming they owned the properties. They even lodged complaints with police officers that questioned them about their ownership of the properties.
Charges indicate that some of the homes were occupied for as long as two years. Ald. Matt O'Shea, whose 19th Ward is the site of many of the homes in question told reporters he was frustrated by how long the police investigation took to bring the alleged crime to light.
"We wanted to make sure it was done right, with felony charges filed (as opposed to misdemeanors)," he said.
The arrest warrants for the four men carried bail of $500,000, which usually indicates that they would have to post a bond of ten percent. However, two men were released Wednesday without having to pay any money.
"It's a little frustrating the judge dropped the ball on this one," O'Shea told reporters.