A woman accused of squatting in a sprawling $2.3 million mansion for months has reportedly returned to the property after serving time in jail connected to the alleged occupation.
Authorities say 40-year-old Tameike Goode moved into a Bethesda, Maryland home and asserted alleged “squatter’s rights,” while also being accused of presenting herself online as a financial advisor offering bankruptcy-related guidance to followers.
Goode was later charged with trespass and burglary after allegedly entering and staying in the home in July last year. She spent under two weeks in custody, according to The New York Post.
The situation was flagged to police months after she allegedly moved in, after 19-year-old neighbor and law student Ian Chen raised concerns about her presence at the residence.
After her short stint behind bars, Chen told The Baltimore Sun: “Less than two weeks of being incarcerated, Tameika Goode is back in the house.”
Speaking later to WBFF-TV News, after learning Goode had reappeared at the home on February 2, Chen argued that laws commonly referred to as “squatters’ rights” should be updated.
The phrase is often used to describe various tenant-style protections that can vary by state and may complicate efforts to remove someone from a property once they’ve established a presence there. In many legal contexts, the timeframes discussed are far longer—often spanning years—before stronger claims can be made.
Chen said: “I feel they should be a lot more proactive.
“I am honestly shocked this hasn’t been fixed 10, 20 years ago, and that this problem has been going on, especially recently, in every community across the state, whether it’s in rural counties in our western panhandle or suburban neighborhoods in Washington and Baltimore.”
Goode’s attorney also suggested she had prepared extensively before allegedly entering the home, telling The Baltimore Sun: “She found out that a certain property was under the control of a certain group — there was a title issue.”
They continued: “Due to the title issue, she was able to assume the property under squatter rights.” Adding: “It’s not a particular squatter right. But there are rights known as squatter’s rights.”
However, the alleged arrangement appeared to unravel again. Not long after she reportedly returned to the foreclosed property, Goode was arrested once more on February 10. Neighbors said workers had moved a number of her belongings outside and left them piled up.
She was later released after posting a $5000 bond, following a hearing at Montgomery District Court where she appeared wearing a tan prison uniform—an apparent contrast to the designer clothing neighbors said she had been seen wearing while at the home.
Chen said the property has since been secured, with windows boarded up and locks changed in an effort to stop any future re-entry.
Chen said: “She [Goode] truly believed that she was entitled to this property. They really tried to hide and just fly under the radar and not think they were going to get caught.”