Officials said that a mother and her son pretended to be the owners of a Queens house and moved in. This prevented legal tenants from accessing the kitchen and bathrooms.
Tanya M. Howard was charged with her son Trevon Howard for an alleged scheme to target a Far Rockaway home at Beach 15th St., near New Haven Ave. that belonged to Tanya L. Howard.
According to Queens DAs, the current owners purchased the property from Tanya L. Howard in 2019.
Officials said that Tanya M. Howard, Tanya M. Howard, took advantage of the similarity of their names to file for a new title under both her and her sons' names with the Department of Finance Business Center (Queens) on Sept. 2.
Howard and her son allegedly then entered the brick two-story home, moved in their belongings and convinced the renters on the first floor that they were the true owners.
Officials said that the pair took over many rooms in the house and restricted the use of kitchen, bathroom, and other rooms by the elderly and disabled tenants.
The Howards, who claimed to be the real owners of the house, were discovered squatting in the property on Sept. 18. Both the mother and her son were quickly detained.
Tanya M. Howard and Trevon Howard entered the house brazenly with a teenage boy just 11 days after they were first arrested.
Tanya M. Howard's son and daughter became squatters, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz stated in a statement.
The Howards were charged for burglary, grand theft, offering a false document for filing, identity theft, and criminal trespass.
Officials said they could spend up to 15 years behind bars if they are convicted.
