Man Sentenced to Two Years for Illegally Occupying Residential Property in Flushing

Queens district prosecutor Katz’s office announced on the 28th that Brian Rodriguez, who illegally occupied a residence in Flushing in February of last year, was sentenced to two years in prison by State Supreme Court Justice Leigh Cheng on March 28th and will be under supervision for five years after his release.

The incident occurred in February 2024 when the homeowner, Adele Andaloro, stated that her house on 160th Street in Flushing was inherited from her mother and valued at 100 perfect dollars. When she attempted to re-enter the vacant house, she found that the locks had been changed and unidentified individuals were inside. Andaloro had verified the house’s condition on January 21st of the same year and found no anomalies.

Prosecutors indicated that Rodriguez entered the property without permission, later claiming to be a lawful tenant and being wrongfully evicted by the landlord. During the initial police response, the homeowner Andaloro was briefly removed from the scene. The incident was captured by media present at the scene and the footage spread widely across national media platforms, sparking public attention.

Subsequently, Andaloro pointed out that Rodriguez failed to produce any lease agreement or clarify his legal relationship with the property. In February 2024, she discovered multiple strangers inside the house, indicating that it may have been sublet.

In accordance with the announcement from the Queens district attorney’s office, Rodriguez forcefully entered the residence on that day, falsely claiming to the police that he was a harassed tenant, causing initial confusion in the police response. Following a thorough investigation, Rodriguez was charged with false reporting and illegal occupation of the property.

New York law allows individuals to claim residency rights somewhere after living there for 30 days, which some criminals or vagrants exploit to illegally occupy vacant homes. Last year, such cases reached a peak, drawing attention from various levels of officials. This case is one of several highly publicized incidents.