Three alleged squatters were indicted by a Queens grand jury for illegally occupying a vacant St. Albans single-family home, where they used electricity without paying and kept multiple pit bulls in the basement.
True Jackson, 41, Saliam Sudler, 35, and Sania Outar, 24, were arrested Tuesday and arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on a five-count indictment charging them with criminal trespass, burglary, theft of services and other related crimes.
The rightful owner’s family noticed unauthorized activity in the home after the property was vacated earlier this year. A subsequent investigation determined that the alleged squatters, who are not residents of Queens, used the St. Albans home as their unlawful permanent residence.
“My office has prioritized removing squatters from the premises when dealing with cases of criminal trespass,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
According to the charges and investigation, the three defendants moved into the vacant home illegally in the spring, and family members of the legal homeowner began to notice activity inside the house and notified the authorities.
On July 31, police officers from the 113th Precinct in Jamaica responded to a 911 call of a domestic dispute at the home between Jackson and Sudler, who are stepbrothers. Jackson was arrested for damaging Sudler’s security cameras and refusing to return Sudler’s PlayStation 5. During the incident, Jackson, Sudler and Outar — who is Sudler’s girlfriend — told police they lived inside the home and reported the address to the officers as their official place of residence.
Further investigation revealed that the trio used electricity in the home without payment for the duration of their unauthorized stay. Numerous pit bulls were found to be kept in the cellar of the property.
Jackson, Sudler and Outar were taken into custody on Nov. 19 pursuant to an indictment warrant by members of the District Attorney’s Detective Bureau. Over a half dozen pit bulls were recovered from the property, seemingly in good condition, and transported to animal control.
“The defendants in this case went as far as listing the home as their official place of residence in a domestic dispute,” Katz said. “We will prosecute individuals who have entered a home illegally, no matter how long they’ve stayed or for what purpose.”
Jackson, Sudler and Outar were also charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. Queens Supreme Court Justice Gary Miret ordered the defendants to return to court on Jan. 9, 2025. If convicted, they face a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
