Nearly a month after a squatter commandeered a room in a woman’s $1 million home in Queens, New York and rented it out, the homeowner was arrested after allegedly trying to change the locks to evict the intruder. Later Thursday, he pleaded not guilty to numerous charges.
On February 29, Brian Rodriguez forced his way into Adele Andaloro’s home after she changed the locks, pushing her away as she tried to close the door, according to the Queens District Attorney.
When he claimed that he was a legal tenant and that Andaloro was trying to legally evict him, police had no choice but to remove Andaloro from the property. In New York, it is against the law to turn off utilities, change locks, and demolish buildings. Property belonging to a person claiming to be a tenant.
“If a man came here and claimed that I illegally evicted him, he could be handcuffed today,” Andaloro said. ABC7. “I wasn’t going to leave the house today, so I said, ‘Please take me to court because they want me to take you to court.'”
New York City homeowner arrested after confrontation with squatters, claims he illegally occupied $1 million property
A home in Flushing, Queens that was reportedly taken over by Brian Rodriguez and a group of squatter subtenants. (Google Maps)
She filed a complaint with the Queens district attorney, which opened an investigation, the department said in a release. A warrant has been issued for Rodriguez’s arrest, and she pleaded not guilty to five charges on Thursday.
Rodriguez, 35, is charged with second-degree robbery, fourth-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree possession of stolen property, second-degree criminal trespass and fourth-degree criminal mischief, the department wrote.
His lawyer, Gerald Levin, said his client’s tires were slashed and his mother developed heart disease as a result of media coverage of the case. new york post report. Rodriguez worked for a company that helps the poor, but he said he could not publicly name the company.
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A street in Flushing, Queens, where squatters reportedly took over a home. (Google Maps)
“The media is to blame!” Levine reportedly shouted, according to the newspaper. “I respectfully asked that he [released on his recognizance], that’s what we were always told was going to happen, until the media came along and made a big fuss about what needed to be done! ”
On Friday, Levine told FOX News Digital that Rodriguez is innocent.
“Everything is on the record. All I can say is he’s not guilty,” Levine said by phone. “I’m not involved in the newspaper.”
Assistant District Attorney William Jorgenson asked Judge Toni Cimino to set Rodriguez on $100,000 bail until his next court date on May 13 and for a restraining order to keep him away from Andaloro. Cimino issued an order of protection but released Rodriguez, a repeat offender with robbery and drug convictions, on supervised home confinement, the Post reported.
Katz told the Post that Rodriguez’s case is aimed at proving that the rule of law “exists on both sides.”
“If you go into a house that doesn’t belong to you without permission and claim you have a right to it, that’s not true. “You can’t claim it. You have a right to be there,” she said. “Today will prove that, won’t it?”
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She told the news outlet she was grateful for reporting on the incident to “send a clear message.”
Rodriguez, who drives a Range Rover, previously told the Post that he was the real victim. He spent $25,000 on repairs to his home and claimed he was scammed by a fake real estate agent named “Ronnie Ferg.” I met him at a laundromat.
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Rodriguez claimed she realized something was wrong when Andaloro showed up after signing a $3,200-a-month lease on her home and moving out by posting.
“It will take a month or two to get them out,” he told the Post before his arrest. “I’m ready to give the house back to Ms. Adele. I’ll take an L for this. This house really broke me down.”
In New York City, eviction cases take an average of 20 months to resolve, according to the Rent Stabilization Association.
