The previous owner of a multi-million-dollar New York mansion at the heart of a squatting row reportedly left it to his nephew, undercutting the claims of a 32-year-old grifter who refuses to leave.
The squatter, nurse Brett Flores, has been caught on eerie surveillance footage lurking around the $2 million property, which was bought by Joseph and Susana Landa, both 68, in October before their months-long struggle to evict him.
To prevent the couple and their disabled adult son from moving in, Flores has filed for bankruptcy and claims the former owner, Bernard Fernandez, bequeathed the home to him when he passed away in January 2023.
A couple living in the neighborhood told DailyMail.com on Friday that Fernandez was a wealthy gay bachelor who had an on-off boyfriend called James.
They said he was ‘the sweetest man’, and said he would feel ‘terrible’ if he knew the burden that has landed on the Landa family. The couple are unclear as to how he came to know Flores.
The Landa’s family attorney, Anthony Mordente, countered that Flores’ claims are redundant and the home wasn’t even left to him, but insists the frustrated family may soon be finally moving in.
Brett Flores, 32, has been seen in eerie surveillance footage looming around the multi-million dollar Long Island mansion that he refuses to vacate
Flores has filed for bankruptcy and claims the former homeowner bequeathed the mansion to him – which the family’s attorney claims is false as it was actually left to a nephew
He has been seen lurking outside this $2 million ‘dream home’ bought by an elderly New York City couple, which has been left derelict and abandoned after it was taken over by the shameless squatter
Months after the property was snapped up for millions, it has fallen into disrepair
After months of struggling to evict the squatter, a note has been left on the door telling the new owners they ‘don’t have consent to enter’, and said their attempts to contact the grifter would be ‘interpreted as harassment’
Susana (right) and Joseph Landa (left), both 68, purchased the mansion in Little Neck, Long Island in October, where they planned to enjoy retirement before their hopes were dashed
‘We’re in the process of having the automatic bankruptcy stay lifted so that we can go back to court and proceed with a trial,’ Mordente told Fox News.
‘I think we’ll be successful. I don’t have any reason why the bankruptcy judge would have any reason to keep the stay in effect.’
Flores worked for Fernandez as a housekeeper before the elderly man’s death last year, and was paid $3,000 a week for his services.
But the lodger then remained in the home and refused to leave, despite it being snapped up for millions by the Landas nine months later.
Mordente first represented Fernandez’ nephew and said he had similar struggles with Flores, launching legal action against the squatter as he has never shown evidence to support his right to remain in the mansion.
He said the nephew fought Flores’ squatting for months, before deciding to rid himself of the hassle around the property and sold it in October to the Landas.
Flores has reportedly been in court a half-dozen times since the Landas bought the home, and allegedly demanded ‘in excess of $100,000’ to vacate the mansion, which Mordente said was refused.
The Landas saw the property as the ideal place to settle down for good, as it was spacious enough for their disabled son Alex, who has Downs Syndrome, and is nearby to other family members.
The squatter had previously worked at the home as a caregiver, where he was paid $3,000 a week to take care of the estate and previous owner
Despite a winter gale blowing through New York on Thursday, many windows and doors of the empty property were left wide open, as the home appeared to not have been lived in for some time
The exterior of the property has also been fitted with at least a dozen security cameras, including on trees scattered around the estate
Scattered garbage and random splatters of white paint have been left around the multi-million dollar home
After finding Flores in the home, they have been blocked and delayed by lines of red tape, including Flores’ bankruptcy filing and his claims of being allowed to remain in the property by the previous owner.
‘They bought it subject to him being present in the property, and they continued the prior case that was commenced by the nephew as the owner under the trust, so they stepped into the former owner’s shoes, so to speak,’ Mordente said.
However, Mordente cast doubt over the legitimacy of his claims, and said Fernandez’ nephew was the one who owned the home before it was purchased.
‘[The house] is not part of his bankruptcy estate because he doesn’t have a ten-year lease that would give him time to stay here,’ he said.
‘So, without a lease and without an agreement to stay, the bankruptcy judge is going to say: What is this all about?’
Amid the ongoing delays, the Landa home has fallen into disrepair, as exclusive DailyMail.com images this week showed it has fallen into disrepair.
Despite a winter gale blowing through New York on Thursday, many windows and doors of the empty property were left wide open, as the home appeared to not have been lived in for some time.
Scattered, unfinished white paint has also been left on the home’s red front door, alongside a key lock holder that had been ripped from its hinges.
There was no answer when DailyMail.com knocked the door. Flores’ lawyer told DailyMail.com that he had no comment to make ahead of a court hearing scheduled for April 18. It is unclear what that hearing will cover.
Joseph Landa said his struggles to evict the squatter have become ‘a nightmare, a total nightmare’
The family hoped the home would be the ideal spot to settle down with their disabled son Alex, and some of their other family also live in the neighborhood
A note purportedly left by Flores on the door of the home told the new owners they ‘don’t have my consent to enter’, and said their attempts to contact him would be ‘interpreted as harassment.’
While no one in the area had anything to say about Flores, an elderly couple on Friday told DailyMail.com the former owner ‘Bernie’ Fernandez was the ‘sweetest man and most beautiful person.’
They said he was known to have lived with a boyfriend in the mansion, named only as James, but they were ‘on and off for years.’
‘Bernie had a lot of money,’ they said, noting that he made his millions in Florida, and was known to sell high-end watches such as Rolexes.
‘He was the nicest most beautiful person you would ever meet,’ they said. ‘Bernie had a good heart as sweet as could be.’
They said they had only met Flores once when he was working on the estate, and felt he is ‘probably taking advantage of the situation.’
(Bernie) would feel terrible if he knew about this,’ they said. ‘Just terrible.’
Carmen, who has lived in the area for 21 years, and lives a few blocks away, was astounded that this is ‘the house’ that has been making headlines right in her neighborhood.
‘Wow! This is the famous house. I can’t believe it,’ she told DailyMail.com as she stood in front of the house looking at it during her Friday morning walk.. ‘I recognize the house.’
‘I walk very frequently. I know he sold, but must of the time when I walk past the house it is always very quiet.’
‘Wow, I can’t believe this is the house.’
Under New York law, squatters are defined as having lived in a property for 30 days, before the owner must prove their right to the home to evict them.
But Mordente said he doesn’t see how Flores has the legal right to remain in the mansion.
The sprawling home is in Little Neck, around 18 miles from Manhattan
The couple have three sons, one of whom has Down Syndrome. They wanted to live with him in the home to remain close to his brothers
The Landa family have already had five hearings in civil court and are complaining that the process keeps getting delayed
‘A squatter is technically someone who breaks into a property, so he has entered without the permission of his employer, so he’s technically not a squatter in the legal sense of the term,’ Mordente said.
‘In my opinion, he doesn’t have any possessive interest in the space because, in point, his employment has been terminated by the death of his employer.’
Previous images of the home also show it in its former glory, with well landscaped yards and bushes – which the neighbors said were torn down after Fernandez’ death.
‘Two or three months ago I passed by here, all the bushes were cut down and I thought, ‘Where the hell is Bernie?” they said.
‘I thought he sold the house and was in Florida,’ they added, as they had not heard of his death over a year ago.
Since Flores won’t leave the home, the Joseph Landa said the ordeal has been ‘a nightmare.’
‘I wake up and I go to sleep thinking about the same thing, when is this guy going to come out?’ Susana, a mother-of-three, told ABC7.
The whole time they have been unable to move into the home due to Flores, the couple have been forced to foot the bill for all the utilities and maintenance to keep up the large property.
While the home has fallen into disrepair as the Landas still can’t move in, they also claim Flores was advertising rooms in their home-to-be on rental sites.
Not only has Flores taken over the Landa’s family home to-be, they are claiming the squatter has also advertised the home online to rent the rooms to other people
While Flores is living rent free in the family’s dream home, they are paying all of the bills to keep the house up and running
In the online listings, which appear to have been deleted, Flores advertised ‘The Prince Room’ for $50 a night to males, female, couples, families or students looking for a place to stay.
His rental services had even garnered three reviews, suggesting that Flores could have hosted paying renters at the Landa’s home.
While Flores is living rent-free in the family’s dream home, they are paying all of the bills to keep the house up and running.
Flores has racked up thousands of dollars in utilities, which Joseph and Susana have had to pay.
Susana said Flores has been ‘leaving windows open 24 hours’ while they are paying the heating bills.
‘It’s very crazy, our system is broken,’ Susana said. ‘I never would imagine we have no rights, no rights at all, nothing, zero.’
‘It makes me feel completely forgotten in this legal system, unfair and not able to do anything,’ Joseph said.