At Legal Fringe Empty Houses Go to The Needy-The New York Times

A Florida mortgage broker, Mark Guerette, has found foreclosed homes, that he does not own, for needy families. He relies on a law that says if the owners do not claim them in seven years they will belong to him. He is seen as a criminal by authorities, and is scheduled to go on trial in December for fraud charges and faces 15 years in prison. He claims to have taken possession of as many as 100 homes and has filed claims in court that he is the rightful owner of these properties.