Bank Goes After Squatter in $2.5M Mansion
By: Samantha Mellman
Andre de Paula Barbosa days living in a foreclosed waterfront mansion may be coming to an end soon as Bank of America is suing to evict him, officials said.
“There is a certain legal process we are required by law to follow and we have filed the appropriate action,” according to a statement released by the bank. “The bank is taking this situation seriously and we will work diligently to resolve this matter.”
Repeated calls to Bank of America seeking additional comments were not returned.
Barbosa, 23, managed to get into the foreclosed property at 580 Golden Harbour Drive last year using a loophole to stay there. Barbosa has invoked an obscure Florida real estate law to stake his claim on the 7,522-square-foot, 5-bedroom palace that features canal views and whose interior includes pillars, a curved staircase and marbled bath.
Barbosa, who the bank says in court papers is liable for more than $15,000 for breaking into the house, could not be reached for comment.
Neighbors have called the police at least three times in the past two months to inform them that Barbosa had been staying there.
Each time police arrived, Barbosa showed them documents he received from the Palm Beach County Property Appraisers Office showing he had all rights to be on the property under the state law.
There is not much police can do without the cooperation of the owner of the property.
A police officer said he contacted bank officials who said they would “create a work order to secure the property and post no trespassing signs.”
“I explained that the “No Trespassing” signs cannot be legally enforced by police without a representative being able to be reached at the time of the trespass or placing an appropriate City of Boca Raton no trespassing sign on the property once a trespass affidavit has been completed by Bank of America,” Officer T.N. Gentilcore wrote. “He stated he did not have the authority to do anything else at this time.”
Gentilcore also contacted Bank of America Corporate Security to speak with the person responsible for managing the property for the bank, however again he was transferred several times and later told by a phone representative that “the people who manage a particular property change day to day and week to week,” he wrote.
It could be the end of his stay in the posh neighborhood that has caught worldwide media attention — and the beginning of something that neighbors have been hoping for.
