Photo Courtesy of Google
The defendants allegedly forced their way into a house on Beach 15th Street near New Haven Avenue in Far Rockaway.
BY Forum Staff
A New Jersey mother and son have been charged for allegedly assuming a prior owner’s identity in order to obtain false title papers and take possession of a home in Far Rockaway. The pair allegedly occupied the home on several occasions through September 2021, despite the rightful owners’ attempts to get them out, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday.
Tanya Howard and her son, Trevon Howard, were arraigned Thursday on a seven-count complaint charging them with burglary in the second degree, grand larceny in the second degree, offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, three counts of identity theft in the second degree and criminal trespass in the second degree. The defendants were ordered to return to court on Dec. 16.
According to the charges, on several occasions in September 2021, Tanya Howard and her son Trevon allegedly forced their way into a house on Beach 15th Street near New Haven Avenue. The home already had two tenants who were renting from the legitimate owners. As alleged, the female defendant claimed to own the two-story brick house. The Howards moved in with their belongings and appliances and took control of several rooms on the first floor of the home. The renters—including an elderly, disabled individual—were cut off from using parts of the house, including the kitchen and bathrooms.
Photo Courtesy of DA Katz
DA Katz called Tanya and Trevon Howard “tenacious squatters.”
Katz said on Sept. 18, the victims—a man and his mother who are the actual owners of the property—discovered the Howards and a third individual inside the house and contacted the police to remove them. When law enforcement arrived, Tanya Howard refused to vacate the premises and continued to insist she was the rightful owner of the house. After being arrested, the defendants allegedly returned to the home and barged inside again, refusing to cede occupancy.
On Sept. 2, 2021, Tanya Howard exploited the similarity between her name and that of the prior owner, Tanya L. Howard, and allegedly filed for a new title in both her and her son’s names with the Department of Finance Business Center in Queens. The true owners of the property purchased the house from Tanya L. Howard in 2019 for $500,000.
On Sept. 29, the male homeowner discovered Tanya M. Howard, her son Trevon Howard, and a teenager inside the house again. He called police and the pair was again arrested.
“As alleged, the defendants in this case became tenacious squatters who repeatedly forced their way into a house they did not own and obtained a false deed to steal the property from the rightful owners,” Katz said.
If convicted, Tanya and Trevon Howard each face up to 15 years in prison.
