‘Thanks Liberals’: How squatters took over a Beverly Hills mansion down the street from LeBron James’ home

Beverly Grove Place, a small outpost of Beverly Hills, is becoming a popular address for the rich and famous. Basketball superstar LeBron James is building a house there, and celebrity couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck bought a $61 million compound there last year.

Yet a bunch of squatters lived right down the street from James’ new home at 1316 Beverly Grove Place from October 2023 to February 2024, reports New York Magazine.

These squatters weren’t poor Angelenos who couldn’t afford rent in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S.. They were grifters who saw the opportunity to use a neglected mansion to give the appearance of wealth and throw massive parties. A January report from The Real Deal said the 5,900-square-foot home was listed for $4.6 million.

The fact that they could con their way into the “most exclusive Zip code in America” shows that expensive neighborhoods may also see squatting incidents.

What happened?

According to the New York Magazine story, Morgan Gargiulo, an aspiring actor, created a fake lease, moved into a mansion and didn’t face any legal consequences for his actions.

Gargiulo threw wild parties five nights a week. He charged between $500 to $1,500 for entry to these dos with rave lights, a Warhol-style print, and a disco ball. He put out Moroccan-inspired poufs and rugs downstairs to give the appearance of a lounge.

Gargiulo was living there with his fiancée and girlfriend, as well as other friends. He even started renting out bedrooms for $150 to $300 a night. But people who booked the rooms showed up to find nothing available in the four-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion. At one point, Gargiulo even let people stay there in exchange for cleaning the house.

Peeved by the late-night revelry, the neighbors confronted Gargiulo, who politely informed them he had a lease. They called the police, got a private investigator to wage a “maximum pressure” campaign and went to the press. Yet nothing happened.

The squatters eventually got sued for eviction in January this year. After it became clear the judge was not going to side with them, they made an agreement with the current owner to leave in February.