Sham Landlord Sentenced to Prison for Squatting in Queens Home
A bizarre saga came to an end as Brian Rodriguez, a sham landlord, was sentenced to two years in prison for squatting in a woman’s $1 million house in Queens. The topsy-turvy takeover of the Flushing home ignited fears of predatory squatters in the city.
In 2024, Rodriguez not only rented out rooms in the house but also convinced NYPD cops that the rightful owner, Adele Andaloro, was wrongfully evicting him. The confused cops even handcuffed Andaloro while a news crew filmed the incident, which ultimately helped her cause.
Andaloro had inherited the home from her parents but arrived in February 2024 to find it filled with squatters and the locks changed. She confronted Rodriguez, who claimed to be leasing the property. The situation escalated when Rodriguez forcefully entered the home after Andaloro had the locks replaced, leading to her being escorted off the property by the police.
Rodriguez contended that he had been unlawfully evicted and claimed that a mysterious benefactor named “Ronnie Ferg” had scammed him into renting the house. New York City law allows people to claim squatter’s rights after being on the property for 30 days.
Queens prosecutors eventually charged Rodriguez with falsely claiming to be a legal tenant facing eviction and harassment. He pleaded guilty in January to falsely reporting an incident, which led to his sentencing.
During the hearing in Queens court, Rodriguez showed up dressed in a black sweatsuit with two women by his side, one of whom sobbed loudly. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz stated, “Brian Rodriguez thought that he could get away with squatting inside someone else’s home and make a profit for himself based on his fictitious account of being a tenant.”
Andaloro expressed her relief that the ordeal was finally over and stated that she just wants to return to a “regular, boring everyday life” after the turmoil of dealing with the sham squatter.
