MIDDLE RIVER, Md. (WBFF) — An occupant Baltimore County police previously described as a squatter is now out of an Essex home after weeks of scrutiny and questions about why police didn’t remove him.
The Armor Court property owner told Spotlight on Maryland he ultimately paid the occupants thousands of dollars in a “cash for keys” agreement to regain control of the property.
Days after the property dispute ended, a new Maryland law took effect Oct. 1. It targets fraudulent leases, one of the tactics at the center of squatting cases Spotlight on Maryland has documented for more than a year.
“How did somebody do that repeatedly, and there’s no price to pay?” neighbor John Callick asked Spotlight during its earlier investigation into the now-vacant Essex house.
How can you not be in jail for that?” Callick added.
A police report says the alleged squatter provided a lease, though the property owner says it was fake.
The property owner of a newly renovated home in Middle River, Md., recently listed at more than $438,000, told Spotlight on Maryland he had to pay several thousand dollars in a so-called “cash for keys” deal to remove what Baltimore County police records alleged was a repeat squatter. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)
The new law makes counterfeiting a real estate lease with the intent to defraud a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Knowingly possessing a counterfeit lease with fraudulent intent can also result in criminal charges.
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Del. Mike Griffith, a Republican representing Harford and Cecil Counties, is one of the House lawmakers who pushed the legislation.
With this law, we’re not trying to put people in jail,” Griffith said. “We’re trying to get people to stop committing these crimes.”
Griffith, however, said the consequences can become significant for repeat offenders.
“Now it’s a felony,” Griffith said. “Those, when felonies start stacking two, three, four times, they become serious penalties.”
The law follows more than a year and a half of Spotlight on Maryland investigations exposing property owners struggling to remove people they say had no legal right to occupy their homes.
Again and again, leases became a central issue.
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In one Baltimore City incident in the summer of 2025, a man accused of squatting confronted Baltimore police from a third-story window, claiming he had a lease.
I just showed you my lease,” the man said. “I want to know what the problem is now.”
The property was recently renovated with government funding and was on the market under a first-time homebuyer program.
Baltimore police arrested the man on an unrelated outstanding warrant.
Meanwhile, property owners have told Spotlight on Maryland the appearance of a lease can complicate an already difficult process, leaving some searching for faster ways to reclaim their properties.
“If you could be out of here by Wednesday, what can I throw you guys?” property owner Mike Haskell asked occupants who took over his house in June 2025.
“We call that cash for keys,” he added.
FILE: Maryland State House (Spotlight on Maryland)
The incidents stretched from Baltimore City to other parts of Maryland and eventually reached Annapolis, where squatting became an issue that drew concerns from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Spotlight on Maryland pressed General Assembly leaders throughout the legislative session on whether lawmakers would act.
“Will your House take up an initiative to close the loophole on squatting this year?” Spotlight asked during a news conference with House Democratic leadership.
“I can tell you that we’re on it,” House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk said. “It’s a very important issue.”
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Lawmakers ultimately passed the counterfeit-lease legislation by large bipartisan margins.
Griffith credits sustained attention on the issue with helping force action.
Sometimes you have a story, it blows up, and then it’s a story for a week or two, then it dies down, and everybody goes to the next thing,” Griffith said.
“In this case the media did not let it go, which made sure that nobody can ignore it, and eventually it comes to a head and people have to stand up and pay attention,” he said.
The law does not automatically make every disputed occupancy a crime.
Instead, it added significant criminal consequences when investigators can establish that someone intentionally created or used a counterfeit lease to defraud another person.
Maryland state Del. Mike Griffith, R-Harford and Cecil counties, told Spotlight on Maryland on Monday, October 5, 2026, that he hopes a law he lobbied for will discourage future squatters. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)
For property owners who have watched disputed leases stall efforts to regain control of their homes, Griffith said he believes that threat could change behavior.
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Spotlight on Maryland asked Griffith directly whether a situation like Armor Court could be prevented under the new law.
“Hopefully,” Griffith said.
“With the rise in instances, with some of the major stories that happened with some of the kingpins creating these marketplacesI do believe there’s going to be a major change in behavior and in prosecution,” he added.
Have you experienced or had direct knowledge of squatting or unauthorized occupancy occurring in Maryland? Do you have any tips related to this story? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com or contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.
Follow Gary Collins on X and Instagram. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.
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