Tinley Park Squatter Gets 30 Days In Jail, Must Pay Back $20K: Judge

CHICAGO, IL — A woman found guilty in May of "squatting" in a Tinley Park home nearly a decade ago will spend a month in jail, and must re-pay two of the parties impacted, a Cook County judge said Monday.

Michele Parker, who lived in the house on Mallow Street in Tinley Park rent- and mortgage-free, was convicted on May 13 of burglary, theft and providing false information, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office confirmed to Patch.

Parker on June 10 was sentenced to 30 days in the Cook County Jail and 30 months of probation—and she must pay back $20,000 total to Robert Moss, of A. Tarraf Construction, and Freddie Mac. Moss had purchased the home as an investment in November 2014. Federal home loan mortgage corporation Freddie Mac owned it prior to that.

Parker had been living in the home for free, in a neighborhood where homes typically were selling for upwards of $350,000 at the time. Moss and his business partner buy and flip homes, with realtor Moss then listing the homes for sale.

<< READ ALSO: Tinley Park 'Squatter' Found Guilty, Finally >>

After Moss and his partner took ownership of the home, they tried to expedite her departure—including offering her $5,000 to be out in seven days, Moss told Patch. But nothing short of eviction seemed to work.

They took her to court, where she claimed to have a lease in place with a rent of $1,500 per month. Parker reportedly couldn’t provide any documentation of said lease. Then again, in the final hour, Parker pulled another ace out of her sleeve, saying she was housing an ill elderly woman confined to a wheelchair. Social Services then stepped in, further delaying her leaving the premises.

"She was just really slick, and she came across very professional," Moss told Patch previously. "... And played the victim the whole way through.

"... She knew how to play this game."

She had been in the home before Moss and his partner owned it, he said, and they weren't sure how her time there began. The home could have rented for $2,500 a month at the time, Moss said. For the five months he owned it prior to her eviction, Moss estimates Parker's freeloading cost him approximately $12,500.

Parker was eventually evicted, and she relocated to Country Club Hills, a source close to the case said, but it took a court nearly 10 years to convict. Cook County Judge Thomas Byrne found her guilty last month.

Parker was taken into custody after the verdict was delivered. Moss was astonished to learn of the conviction reached after so much time. It's an outcome he doesn't often see in similar scenarios.

"I’m absolutely shocked," Moss said. "I’m happy—hats off to these guys, they’re actually doing their jobs, and that’s the way it should be.

"I’m glad to see something’s being done about it."

Parker was also ordered to complete 20 days of Sheriff's Work Alternative Program, as well as undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment recommendations, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.