Saturday, November 27, 2010

Mercedes-Driving Squatter Makes Himself At Home Using Vacant Three-Story Mansion In Foreclosure As 'Party House'

In Southern California, NBC Los Angeles reports:
  • In an upscale enclave in the San Fernando Valley, there's a new neighbor on the block. He drives a big Mercedes, sometimes a fancy SUV and residents say he's been living in a three-story mansion, which was empty and going into foreclosure.

  • His name is Dawud Walli, and neighbors say he moved into a huge empty home last July, furnishing nearly every room of the house. "We feel unsafe. We can't sleep. We have families," say some of the residents who live nearby. They say Walli made this a party house.

  • Inside, we found booze and condoms scattered about. But no one really knew what went on here, because some of the windows were covered with tape and garbage bags. "They don't want to make contact with the neighbors. They do not want to make eye contact with you. They do not talk to you," says someone who lives nearby.

  • Prosecutors say this is happening across Southern California. They've caught squatters illegally living in homes in Bel-Air, Marina Del Rey and Winnetka. "It's a huge problem and growing every day," says Los Angeles City Attorney Maureen Rodriguez. "It's just amazing how nervy they can be: presenting false leases," says Rodriguez.

For more, see Is Your New Neighbor a Squatter?