Neighbors in one of Washington, DC’s most affluent suburbs have spent the better part of a year watching what many describe as a surreal nightmare unfold right outside their front doors — and now millions of Americans are watching too.
A video report from Fox Baltimore’s Spotlight on Maryland (1) documenting the saga has garnered more than two million views on Facebook alone, drawing thousands of comments from viewers mostly angry at what they see as a broken system.
At the center of the controversy is Tamieka Goode, a self-described “pro-se litigation coach,” and her partner, Corey Pollard. The couple allegedly moved into a 7,500-square-foot bank-owned home on Burning Tree Lane in Bethesda, Maryland last summer without the owner’s permission. The property, which is tied to Citigroup through foreclosure, is valued at about $2.3 million.
Both were ultimately convicted of breaking and entering, among other charges, and sentenced to 90 days in jail. During the proceedings, Judge John C. Moffett told Goode that she had “some demented thoughts to justify” squatting. Despite all of this, Goode was able to return to the property after posting a $5,000 cash appeal bond. Within hours of her release, security camera footage showed a woman matching Goode’s description walking around the icy driveway of the Bethesda mansion, wearing clothing similar to what she wore outside the courthouse.
Months earlier, Ian Chen, a 19-year-old college student who lives with his parents next door, noticed what appeared to be forced entry into the vacant property. He called the Montgomery County police.
According to Chen, their response was evident. The officers knocked on the door, got no answer, and left. When Chen pressed the issue, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Police Department told reporters that, because the occupants had been in the home for more than 30 days, they had “obtained residency status,” meaning their removal must be handled through the courts, not law enforcement.
So Chen took matters into his own hands. In July 2025, he filed private criminal charges against Goode and Pollard for fourth-degree burglary and burglary. What followed were nine months of delays, missed court dates, and legal maneuvers that left the neighborhood on edge.
“I was pretty scared,” Chen told Spotlight on Maryland. “All of us in our neighborhood were. We have many elderly people who were afraid to even go to sleep at night.”
The story took its most dramatic turn on February 11, when the authorities finally went to clean up the property. After Spotlight on Maryland reported that Goode had returned to the mansion after her brief incarceration, the activity intensified.
Just before 9:30 pm on Tuesday night, Goode and her friends were spotted moving items from the mansion when several Montgomery County sheriff’s deputies arrived. Goode was taken into custody and transported to the detention center before midnight.
During the overnight hours, moving trucks came and went from the property. By Wednesday morning, nearly a dozen deputies, a crew of workers, and a vacant property security company had converged on the home. Workers removed hundreds of personal items that had been left behind, including sofas, a piano, a Pac-Man arcade machine, and a movie popcorn maker.
“We’re going to offer everything if you’re saying he’s not supposed to be here,” a sheriff’s deputy told the property bank representative.
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Goode’s case is dramatic, but it is far from unique. Squatting incidents have increased across the country, fueled in part by a surge of viral social media content that brought the issue into the spotlight – and, some argue, provided a playbook for would-be squatters.
A 2024 report by the Pacific Legal Foundation documented a significant increase in squatting incidents in several states (2). Data compiled by property management firm Showdigs, citing Pew Research and the Urban Institute, shows a 22 percent increase in reported squatting cases in 2024, with the average eviction timeline stretching from 3 to 6 months and costing property owners between $8,000 and $15,000 in legal fees and lost rent (3). In Georgia, squatting court cases jumped from three in 2017 to 198 in 2023, according to Moneywise’s prior reporting — though that data covered only 25 of the state’s 159 counties.
The problem has sparked a wave of legislative action. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 621 on March 27, 2024, which allows property owners to file an affidavit and request that sheriffs remove unauthorized occupants – unless the individual is a current or former tenant in legal dispute (4). Georgia followed with legislation that criminalizes squatting and allows eviction within days if occupants cannot produce proof of legal residency. New York, Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois, and Texas have all recently passed or advanced similar measures (5).
Maryland, notably, does not. Delegate Teresa Woorman, Democrat of Montgomery County, told reporters she wasn’t sure if squatting should even be a crime, a comment that frustrated Chen and his neighbors (6). The Bethesda case, however, may be changing the political calculus. Chen vowed to push for reforms in Annapolis.
“Squatting is ending today, but the road to holding each individual accountable for their actions has just begun,” Chen said after the eviction. “It will end at the state capitol in Annapolis, where I will ask the legislature and Governor Moore to change the laws so that it never happens to a community again.”
According to a LendingTree analysis of Census Bureau data, roughly 5.6 million housing units across the 50 largest U.S. metro areas were vacant as of 2023 — though the vast majority are rental vacancies, seasonal homes, or properties under renovation. Foreclosures account for roughly 1% or less of vacant units in most major metros (7). Still, homes that fall under foreclosure and sit empty can become targets for the kind of unauthorized occupation that has kept this Bethesda neighborhood up at night for nearly a year.
If you are worried about losing your home, or know someone who is, the most important thing you can do is to act early. Lenders have much more flexibility to work with borrowers who come forward before falling behind on a payment than those who wait until they are months behind.
Tolerance it may be an option if you are facing a temporary hardship such as job loss, a medical emergency, or an unexpected expense. Your servicer may agree to reduce or suspend your payments for a set period. You will need to pay back the lost amounts later, but it can provide some breathing room while you stabilize. According to federal rules, servicers are required to review you for loss mitigation options before proceeding with foreclosure.
Loan modification you can permanently restructure the terms of your mortgage — extend the loan term, lower the interest rate, or roll over missed payments on the remaining balance. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s Flex Modification program, for example, targets a 20 percent reduction in principal and interest payments for eligible borrowers (8). If you have an FHA, VA, or USDA loan, additional specialized options may be available.
Free accommodation advice is available through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, which maintains a network of approved counseling agencies that can help you understand your options, communicate with a lender, and develop a plan. You can reach one by calling the Homeowners Hope Hotline at (888) 995-HOPE or by visiting HUD’s website (9). Beware of any company that charges fees for foreclosure prevention assistance – that money is almost always better spent on your mortgage.
Know your rights. Except in very specific circumstances, servicers cannot initiate foreclosure proceedings until you are more than 120 days past due on your loan. If you submitted a complete loss mitigation application, your servicer must review it before moving forward. And in many states, you have the right to reinstate your loan – which means you can stop the foreclosure process by paying the amount owed in one lump sum, even after proceedings have begun.
If keeping your home isn’t realistic, selling before foreclosure is almost always better for your finances and credit. If you owe more than the home is worth, a “short sale” – where the lender agrees to accept less than the full balance – may be an option. It’s not ideal, but it’s considerably less damaging than a complete foreclosure, which can stay on your credit report for seven years and make it extremely difficult to qualify for a future loan (10).
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We rely only on verified sources and credible reporting from third parties. For details, see our ethics and editorial guidelines.
Fox Baltimore (1); Pacific Legal Foundation (2); Showdigs (3); State of Florida (4); Bill Track 50 (5); Fox Baltimore (6); LendingTree (7); Fannie Mae (8); HUD.gov (9); Office for Consumer Financial Protection (10)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
