Four charged with illegally possessing, renting foreclosed houses on Chicago’s Southwest Side.
The people alleged to have illegally “squatted” in expensive, foreclosed houses in Chicago’s Beverly and Morgan Park communities certainly kept up appearances, Ald. Matt O’Shea said Wednesday.
Felony charges were filed against four men as a result of a monthslong investigation into illegal squatting in city neighborhoods, authorities said.
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said the men are charged with felony theft and burglary in a “bold and brazen scheme” to illegally take possession of 14 vacant homes around the city, including eight in O’Shea’s 19th Ward, and then living in the houses as well as renting them to others.
They were familiar enough with the system that they obtained through the county bogus documents that made it appear they were the rightful owners, frustrating efforts by police to kick them out of the single-family homes, O’Shea said.
In some cases, he said, neighbors had no idea that the homes were illegally occupied because they were well maintained.
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