Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has claimed there’s no evidence that his accelerated green energy agenda is increasing electricity bills for residents, despite concerns from PJM Interconnection that a shrinking energy supply is colliding with rapid economic growth.

Spotlight on Maryland asked PJM on Thursday whether Maryland’s energy generation shortfall specifically increased demand on regional energy costs, which drove up its capacity auction prices to a record high earlier in the week.

“Existing supply has been leaving the system due primarily to state and federal decarbonization policies and some economics,” PJM spokesman Jeffrey Shields said in an email. “In any market, when demand is up and supply is down, there will be an increase in pricing.”

“PJM has been warning of this eventuality for several years now, specifically as it relates to the impact of these supply/demand fundamentals on our ability to reliably operate the power grid,” Shields added.

On Tuesday, PJM announced its capacity auction price for 2026 had jumped to $329.17 per megawatt (MW) — a 22% increase from the previous year and more than 1038% higher than the $28.92 per MW clearing price in 2023, when Moore took office. Some customers’ electricity bills will increase 1.5% to 5%, PJM said.

What’s a capacity auction?

PJM conducts annual auctions to ensure utilities can secure enough electricity when demand spikes, such as during heat waves or severe storms. The price determined in these auctions affects the cost of electricity for customers across 13 states and Washington, D.C.

As traditional power plants retire faster than replacements come online, PJM says the system is becoming more fragile — and expensive.

“Generators are retiring in Maryland due to a mixture of economic and policy justifications and without replacement generation in place,” PJM warned in a two-page brief after last year’s first record-breaking capacity auction. Maryland, which already imports the majority of its energy, has lost 6,000 MW of electricity since 2018, while adding only 1,600 MW, the brief said.

Moore’s green energy push

At an unrelated event in Baltimore on July 17, Spotlight on Maryland asked Moore if his green energy agenda is disrupting the state’s energy market and costing Marylanders, as they are experiencing a tough state economy.

“Not at all,” said Moore, a Democrat. “There is no data that can actually reinforce that being able to say we believe in solar, and wind, and nuclear, and all the different, all-of-the above energy assets, that in any way, is actually hurting ratepayers. In fact, it’s actually helping.”

“The best thing you can do is provide more options for ratepayers. If you provide more options, it’s simple supply and demand, it brings prices down. So what we are interested in is making sure the ratepayers are supported and we can do that while also protecting the environment,” Moore added.

But PJM contends that current green energy initiatives aren’t keeping up with the demand — and new supply is lagging. Shields noted that while PJM has approved 46,000 MW of new generation, much of it remains unbuilt due to global supply chain issues, state and federal permitting delays, and financing challenges.

Offshore wind faces setback

Moore has made offshore wind a cornerstone of his clean energy plan. He signed three green energy bills in April 2023, including the Maryland Promotion Offshore Wind Energy Resource Act, or the POWER Act. During the bill signings, the governor announced his accelerated net-zero emissions target for Maryland, aiming to reach 100% carbon-free energy generation by 2035 — a full decade ahead of the state’s statutory requirement.

The governor said that offshore wind would be crucial for the state to replace fossil fuel plants with clean, renewable energy.

“The POWER Act will nearly quadruple our offshore wind goals so we can build off the great work of our partners at Tradepoint Atlantic, our partners at Orsted, and our partners at US Wind to make Maryland the offshore capital of the United States,” Moore said in April 2023.

Spotlight on Maryland reported in early July that the sites previously scheduled to open in summer 2025 remain mostly unchanged since the governor broke ground at the facilities.

When Spotlight on Maryland asked Moore how offshore wind will increase the supply that he says his administration is seeking to accomplish in his all-of-the-above generation approach, he said:

“Well, when you’re talking about all-of-the-above energy options, that includes solar, that includes wind, that includes nuclear, that includes all of the various options that we have on board to make sure we are increasing supply,” Moore said. “If you are having increased demand, as we are seeing in the state of Maryland, you have to increase supply.”

“If you do not increase supply, then you will end up having jacked up prices, and that means all the ratepayers get hosed, so what we are trying to do is just provide every single option possible and make it available to people at a scalable way that both brings prices down and bring inventory up,” Moore added.

Moore’s response comes as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency demanded two weeks ago that Maryland regulators fix its offshore wind permits, which it said were issued incorrectly. The EPA added that failure to reissue permits in compliance with its terms could void Maryland’s offshore wind approval.

New York utility regulators revoked their permits for a multibillion-dollar offshore wind project last week, citing a shift in federal energy priorities and the need to protect the state’s electricity ratepayers.

“What we’ve seen over the last several months from the federal government hasn’t been a simple change in policy, but a wholesale departure from long-established norms,” said Rory Christian, New York Public Service Commission chairman. “In time, the winds of national policy will shift. When they do, we will be ready. But in the meantime, we have to focus our attention on building the clean energy infrastructure we need.”

PJM’s warning

The grid operator outlined three key points for Maryland policymakers to focus on in its publication to reduce record-high energy costs, warning them not to shut down energy sources until replacements are in place.

“Avoid efforts meant to push generation off the system until an adequate quantity of replacement generation is online and operating,” PJM said.

Shields reiterated the warning about green energy solutions being pursued across the region in his email response Thursday to Spotlight on Maryland.

Meanwhile, Del. Chris Tomlinson, a Republican representing Carroll and Frederick counties, said he is not confident Maryland is on the right path to protect ratepayers, instead remaining overly focused on green energy solutions as the rest of the nation shifts.

“I don’t think any of the bills that we passed are going to make a dent in what we are seeing on our [electricity] bills month after month,” Tomlinson said. “I don’t ever like to think there is no hope, so I don’t want to say that, but unfortunately, I think it is going to have to get worse until Democratic leadership finally wakes up and says we are going to have to make major changes.”

Follow Gary Collins with Spotlight on Maryland on X and Instagram. Do you have news tips on this story or others? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.

Three Baltimore Police Department officers confirmed the drug is under investigation as a possible factor in the mass overdose Thursday at the intersection of Pennsylvania and North avenues. The officers who spoke with Spotlight on Maryland requested anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media on official matters. They added that the drug has been seen on the streets of Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

Neighbors in the immediate area of Baltimore’s multiple open-air drug markets also said they heard New Jack City is taking the streets by storm.

“Man, they are going crazy trying to find that stuff,” said Andres, a Carrollton Ridge resident who asked to be identified only by his first name for safety reasons.

Sharing its name with the 1991 fictional film that depicts a drug lord’s rise during the crack cocaine epidemic in New York City, a BPD drug officer told Spotlight on Maryland on Monday afternoon that New Jack City’s main components are fentanyl, heroin, or both, depending on the dealer.

“Unfortunately, it either has freon or antifreeze added to it,” the BPD officer said.

Spotlight on Maryland asked BPD by email on Monday morning whether New Jack City is the suspected drug responsible for the mass overdose that hospitalized at least 27 people on Thursday. The police department was also asked what components might be used to make Baltimore’s edition of New Jack City.

BPD did not acknowledge or respond to the email request for details.

In just 10 minutes on Monday afternoon, Spotlight on Maryland observed at least two dozen apparent drug transactions at the corner of South Monroe Street and Wilkens Avenue, in the West Baltimore neighborhood of Carrollton Ridge, where Andres lives.

A woman was seen in the northbound lane of Wilkens Avenue, folded over while standing in the roadway. With a police car at the intersection of the incident, Spotlight on Maryland notified BPD’s Western District of the circumstances.

Meanwhile, just over two miles north, Spotlight on Maryland visited the intersection of Pennsylvania and North Avenues, where another busy city drug market was operating on Monday. The open-air market became the focus on Thursday for the large city fire and police response after reports of a mass overdose event.

The same intersection gained international attention in April 2015 during the civil unrest following Freddie Gray’s death, when several structures and cars were set on fire. Although the CVS store has been rebuilt after being burned during the riots, other nearby buildings remain charred.

Darren Dugan, a former intravenous drug user who once lived homeless near Penn-North, returned to the area Monday to reflect on his past and to try to help others. He said the intersection reminds him of the drug addiction struggles he faced before court intervention in 2020.

“For this corner, for me, it’s definitely a spot where I found a lot of pain in active addiction,” Dugan said. “I was an IV user, I was homeless a few blocks away from here, sleeping in a warehouse five years ago.”

“Now, I see it [as] kind of an opportunity to give back and maybe help some people who are making the choices that I made and make different ones,” Dugan added.

Minutes later, Spotlight on Maryland walked with Dugan to a nearby warehouse, where he said many drug users from Penn-North lived, including himself, during the height of his addiction. He then ran into a woman he used to do drugs with on the streets.

With tears in both of their eyes, Dugan wrote down the address and phone number for a nearby addiction recovery center. He also made a phone call to help arrange a ride for the woman out of the drug market’s intersection.

Dugan recalled dark times in his life, struggling in the same way as the woman he had just helped.

“I remember coming out here and literally walking right past police, probably a hundred feet in front of them, wondering if it is okay copping [buying drugs] and then walking back,” Dugan said. “There are places that people can come … all day long.”

Pointing to the mass overdose event last week, Dugan said he is disgusted by the lack of action of city and state governments, saying too little has been done to crack down on the illegal sale of drugs that have been widespread in the neighborhood for decades.

“One thing that always clashes with me is the fact that there are always people standing out, in these couple of blocks,” Dugan said. “It doesn’t take an officer, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who has what, it’s literally being announced.”

“The fact that people feel confident, in this city, to walk out and announce what it is that they have, loudly, that’s obscene,” Dugan added.

Dugan said government officials must do everything within their power to stay ahead of drugs like New Jack City because of the public health problems they present.

“Unfortunately, the fentanyl that is going out is laced with Xylazine,” Dugan said. “The more they lean on Xylazine, the harder it is for people to be resuscitated with Narcan. It’s not an opioid, but it still suppresses your nervous system, so when people use it … the only thing that helps is someone who is able to apply rescue breathing.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Xylazine is approved only for veterinary use as a sedative or muscle relaxant, including for horses.

Spotlight on Maryland asked Robin Wherley, the assistant state’s attorney for Baltimore City, and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates whether the city has an open-air drug market problem and if new drugs hitting the street are problematic for her office. Wherley recently became the lead prosecutor for drug court in the city’s circuit court division.

“We certainly have a drug problem in Baltimore City, but that’s everywhere. That’s not just here,” Wherley said. “We do have open-air drug markets. Anyone who lives or drives through the city can see that. I would say yes.”

Wherley told Spotlight on Maryland the mass overdose incident remains under investigation and she believes city officials will soon know all of the contents involved in the drugs consumers used.

“I think people need to understand that any drug can kill you,” Wherley said. “Depending on the formula, depending on what it is cut with, depending on what may be nearby. You might think you’re buying heroin, [but] you may end up with something completely different.”

For Dugan, he said it was only after a period of incarceration and forced sobriety that he realized he had to stop using, otherwise he would likely end up dead.

“It was only after that I realized that I had the potential within me to do something different,” Dugan said. “The choices are to either lean into the help or lean into, unfortunately, eventual death.”

Have a news tip? Contact Gary Collins at gmcollins@sbgtv.com.

Rep. Andy Harris said early Tuesday morning during an interview with Spotlight on Maryland that he is alarmed by what he described as costly delays in offshore wind generation for the state. Harris, the state’s only Republican in Congress, also reiterated calls for President Donald Trump’s administration to reopen the federal bidding process for such energy projects.

“The bottom line is that these permits were rushed through the Biden administration without due diligence with regard to its effect on commercial fishing, the whales, national defense, the viewscape,” Harris said. “There were numerous things that got bypassed in the permitting process.”

Pointing to Democratic Gov. Wes Moore’s announcement in April 2023 to transition the state to 100% green energy by 2035, Harris said that without new power sources capable of generating enough electricity for Marylanders, the state could face a serious situation.

“They should reopen the permitting process, and I am convinced that if they do reopen that permitting process, those permits will never be granted,” Harris added.

US Wind Inc., the only offshore wind developer with an active energy project off of Ocean City, announced in a December 2021 news release on its website that its first phase of the wind project would come online this year.

“Anticipated to start generating clean energy in 2025, MarWin is expected to support more than 1,300 Maryland jobs and power about 80,000 homes,” the US Wind news release said. “US Wind controls an approximately 80,000-acre federal lease area off the coast of Maryland.”

A key part of the Maryland Public Service Commission’s approval of US Wind’s application for its offshore energy projects involves the Italy-based company building essential parts of the nearly 1,000-foot-tall wind turbines in Maryland. The developer launched a partner company, Sparrows Point Steel, promising to create more than 550 high-paying union jobs for steelworkers at the Patapsco River shipping site.

Three months after Moore took office, he praised the project and reaffirmed his commitment to green energy by signing three related bills near the US Wind turbine construction site aimed at advancing offshore wind generation projects. One of the bills was the Maryland Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resource, or the Maryland POWER Act.

“The future isn’t just cleaner and greener, it is more prosperous. It is a future with work that is empowering. It is a future with wages that are sustainable,” Moore said in April 2023. “The POWER Act will nearly quadruple our offshore wind goals so we can build off the great work of our partners at Tradepoint Atlantic, our partners at Ørsted, and our partners at US Wind to make Maryland the offshore capital of the United States.”

Ørsted, a Danish wind developer, canceled its two approved Maryland offshore wind projects in January 2024, citing “challenging economic circumstances.”

US Wind has continued to secure rebid awards from the PSC, including taking on renewable energy credits previously held by Ørsted in January 2025. The company’s CEO said its first phase of wind turbines would be operational by 2025, including at the Sparrows Point Steel site.

Will Maryland become a ‘green energy’ economic hub?

After being denied access to the riverfront site by Tradepoint Atlantic’s security checkpoint on Sunday, Spotlight on Maryland reviewed Google Earth satellite images showing minimal activity at US Wind’s turbine construction site. Spotlight on Maryland also flew a drone over public waters near the site, showing limited modifications consistent with the Google Earth images.

Spotlight on Maryland pressed Moore, US Wind and a representative from the United Steelworkers Union about why the site had missed its targeted activation date.

Moore, after an unrelated news conference on Monday about housing, did not clearly answer questions regarding why a key job site he said that he “envisioned a 21st century economy driven by Maryland wind power” did not appear active.

“Well, you know, we continue to work with all of our partners to ensure that, as we say, that our state, that we go from no-and-slow to fast-and-now,” Moore said. “We believe in making sure that we are coming up with a strong energy future for the people of the state, and we will work with all of our partners to make sure we can deliver that as quickly as possible.”

Spotlight on Maryland again asked when the site is expected to come online after not receiving a direct answer.

“Again, we are working with all of our partners to make sure we are delivering all of these projects as quickly as possible,” Moore said. “I think that people are seeing, just like this announcement today around housing, that this is an administration that moves fast, that this is an administration that moves together with all of our partners, and we plan to do the things that we honor.”

Project status unclear

Meanwhile, Jim Strong, United Steelworkers Union’s offshore wind sector assistant, was asked by Spotlight on Maryland on Tuesday afternoon by phone if any steelworker jobs have started at the US Wind construction site at Tradepoint Atlantic.

“Not yet,” Strong said.

The union representative emphasized during the phone call that he believes the US Wind site will fulfill its promise of creating the 550 steelworker positions committed once it reaches full operating capacity. Strong added that he is aware engineers have visited the proposed location for “mapping” and planning purposes.

Nancy Sopko, vice president of external affairs at US Wind, acknowledged by email on Tuesday that the company’s Tradepoint Atlantic fabrication construction site is a work in progress.

“We are on track to create hundreds of jobs in a new steel fabrication facility in Baltimore County,” Sopko said. “We expect construction activity for the new facility to begin next year.”

Despite receiving a $47 million federal grant to develop Tradepoint Atlantic, the US Wind representative said no federal grant funds have been used for the site’s development due to ongoing negotiations.

“Earlier this year, the state approved our plans to greatly increase the size of our offshore wind project, making it the largest new power project in the region, by far,” Sopko said. “We are on track to start construction at Sparrows Point next year to support his new, larger project.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration did not respond to Spotlight on Maryland’s questions about the status of the federal grant. Baltimore County’s spokesperson acknowledged similar questions about the grant’s status but did not provide an answer regarding its status or expenditure.

Harris, who represents the Ocean City coastal community where US Wind plans to erect its wind farm off the beach, told Spotlight on Maryland early Tuesday morning he was not pleased with the discovery.

“I’m not surprised,” Harris said. “It’s not an American company, it’s an Italian company that cleverly put ‘US’ in their American subsidiary’s name.”

“I don’t think they care about the United States. All they care about is those tax credits, they care about the subsidies that will flow to offshore wind and making profits from those subsidies,” Harris added.

Harris said he questions why Moore has pressed forward on offshore wind while the national interest in the energy generation source has stalled in recent years.

“People’s energy bills are sky high, and offshore wind is one of the most expensive ways to generate electricity,” Harris said. “This is just a fool’s errand. It was started for totally political purposes. It’s a foolish waste of money.”

Follow Gary Collins with Spotlight on Maryland on X and Instagram. Do you have news tips on this story or others? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com.

State Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, R-Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties, told Spotlight on Maryland while walking through Convention Center Boardwalk Park along the Isle of Wight Bay on Wednesday that she has never seen widespread unity in opposition to any project among area elected officials and beach leaders since joining the Maryland General Assembly in 2015.

“So many people and families just don’t want to see these turbines,” Carozza said. “They don’t make sense, they know they’re expensive, they know they’re being paid for by the taxpayers’ dollars, and they want to protect our way of life.”

Officially known as the Town of Ocean City, the Maryland coastal resort community extends 9 miles from its northern border with Delaware to its southern inlet. U.S. Census data from 2022 shows the narrow strip of land between the Atlantic and the Isle of Wight Bay swells to become Maryland’s second most populated municipality during summer months, slightly behind Baltimore City.

Carozza took Spotlight on Maryland on a tour through Ocean City’s busy streets on Wednesday as the town filled with beachgoers and families preparing for a dual fireworks display off the ocean. Along Coastal Highway, the main road through the beach community, yard signs, billboards and hotel electric displays reading “Say NO to Offshore Wind” were common.

How Maryland offshore wind became a priority

The state assembly passed the Climate Solutions Now Act (CSNA) of 2022, along with the Renewable Portfolio Standard, as a mandate to cut state greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2031 and achieve a net-zero emissions state by 2045.

Then-Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, neither vetoed nor signed the CNSA. State Democrats hold an overwhelming veto-proof majority in the Maryland State House and frequently overrode Hogan’s vetoes. According to the state’s constitution, a bill presented to the governor while the state assembly is in session becomes law after six days if the chief executive does not return objections.

In 2023, months after Maryland Gov. Wes Moore became the state’s 63rd governor, the political newcomer announced he was accelerating the state’s already ambitious green energy goals passed by the state assembly before he took office.

Moore announced outside TradePoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point in April 2023 that he would move up the state’s net-zero emissions targets by ten years, requiring Maryland to reach 100% clean energy by 2035.

“This is a very clear statement to our entire state, that we are moving fast, that we are going to be bold, and we are going to have 6.2 million people that are going to be participants in that boldness,” Moore said.

TradePoint Atlantic is a logistics hub development on over 3,000 acres of the former Bethlehem Steel plant site, which closed in 2003. Bethlehem Steel, once the world’s largest steel producer, was referenced during Moore’s visit in April 2023, when he signed the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources Act.

Moore said during the bill’s signing that he “envisioned a 21st century economy driven by Maryland wind power,” which would include the construction of wind turbines at the site.

The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) approved four bid applications in 2017 to develop wind energy farms along the Atlantic Ocean shelf outside Ocean City.

The Skipjack Wind 1 and Wind 2 project agreements with Maryland regulators to sell energy to the state, applied by Danish developer Orsted, were canceled by the company in January 2024. According to a statement on Orsted’s website, offshore renewable energy credits were “no longer sustainable under current market conditions,” a stipulation imposed by the PSC.

Initially scheduled to operate by 2024, U.S. Wind’s MarWin project aims to install 114 wind turbines about ten miles off Ocean City’s coast. The Italian-owned company said in its rebid application, which was once again awarded in January 2024 by the PSC, that it intends to build its wind turbines at the Bethlehem Steel site.

Spotlight on Maryland requested interviews with U.S. Wind on Wednesday and Thursday and sent the following questions to the green energy developer:

• As an Italian-based company, do you feel you have the best interests of Marylanders in mind?
• Will the proposed wind turbines be visible from Ocean City’s shoreline? If so, why?
• How would you describe your relationship with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and his administration?
• Are there concerns that this project could be halted if the U.S. government cancels the lease or federal subsidies?
• What compensation is being provided to Ocean City’s commercial industry workers and residents for the anticipated impact?

Dori Henry, with Blended Public Affairs, a prominent Maryland-based public relations, crisis communications and strategic advising firm, said that representatives with U.S. Wind were unavailable for interviews during the requested period. Answers to questions submitted by Spotlight on Maryland to U.S. Wind were not returned.

Blended Public Affairs was founded and is led by Alexandra Hughes, who served as chief of staff for 13 years to former Maryland House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel County, before his passing in 2019.

Hughes coordinated multiple media availabilities for Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) last year during the company’s initial public meetings about the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project. The Piedmont Project is a 90-mile high-voltage power line project proposed to run through Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Counties.

Ocean City leaders and the community unite against offshore wind

Sonny Gwin, a commercial fisherman in Ocean City for nearly fifty years, told Spotlight on Maryland with tears in his eyes aboard his fishing boat on Wednesday that he fears U.S. Wind’s offshore energy project may tear apart his family legacy.

“I’m getting to the very end of my rope, I’m 68,” Gwin said. “My son is starting in this business. I think that’s what worries me the most.”

“Him, being in this business, trying to make a living doing this, when they’re working so hard to stop him from doing it,” Gwin added.

The lobster and sea bass fisherman said he always knew he wanted to make a living on the water after falling in love with the ocean when he was a teenage surfer.

Gwin said that colleagues working off Virginia’s shoreline, where wind energy projects are being built, have been unable to gather similar amounts of seafood because of dredging near the wind farm leasing area. He said that local, state, and federal leaders have offered their support in his fight against the wind turbine project, except for Maryland’s chief executive.

“Who we don’t have is the governor. He is full, head-on, on doing it, and there seems like there is so much opposition,” Gwin said. “We want to make sure they do not go out there and mess up the environment.”

Spotlight on Maryland requested an interview with Moore on Thursday morning through his spokesperson. Within three minutes, Carter Elliott, the governor’s spokesperson, declined Spotlight on Maryland’s interview request via email but arranged a conversation with another Maryland state government leader.

Adam Ortiz, the deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, told Spotlight on Maryland that the state fully intends to move forward with offshore wind despite opposition from individuals like Gwin and Ocean City leaders.

“There is no question that we have rising energy demand,” Ortiz said. “We have AI, we have data centers, and a growing population, so we have to meet that demand. The question is how thoughtfully do we do it.”

Although Hogan had not previously signed the CSNA, Ortiz said that his agency is implementing similar policies set by the former Republican administration in a “thoughtful and sustainable way.”

“We have been in close contact with local leaders and officials, and have attended many public meetings, and we are happy to address any concerns going forward, along with our sister agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources,” Ortiz said.

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said he believed that Moore’s administration is not paying attention to local concerns, which he also shares, regarding the wind turbine project’s effects on tourism, fishing, the environment, and the region’s economy.

“I believe it is to check off a box politically, and that’s unfortunate,” Meehan said. “This is not a good project for the future. There are other things that should be considered.”

“Those conversations should be happening now before, at some point in time, God-forbid, we’re looking at a wind turbine graveyard off the coast as this country and this state move on to other more reliable forms of renewable energy,” Meehan added.

Ortiz said the Moore administration has been responsive to local leaders despite what Ocean City mayors and others say.

“We have always been in conversation,” Ortiz said. “In Maryland, we don’t always agree on everything, but people are heard and to the extent that we can, we try to accommodate everybody in a thoughtful way.”

Meanwhile, Ocean City vacationer Stephanie Corcoran told Spotlight on Maryland on the boardwalk Wednesday that she might reconsider her beloved trips to Maryland’s beaches.

“I feel [offshore wind] would ruin the travel industry because people don’t want to look at that when they’re sitting on the beach, enjoying the sun, riding the waves,” Corcoran said. “Nobody wants to see that out there.”

Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun. Do you have news tips on this story or others? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com.

Maryland state Del. Mike Griffith, a Republican representing Cecil and Harford counties, told Spotlight on Maryland on Tuesday afternoon his legislative district has not historically seen squatting instances until recently, with some neighborhoods seeing what he defined as “flare-ups.”

“It’s 100% a multimillion-dollar issue here in the state that we need to address,” Griffith said. “Just because a house can’t move and it physically is in place, it is still somebody’s property that [squatters] are stealing. The same types of laws that apply to stealing transient property should be applied here as well.”

When not seated in the Maryland General Assembly’s 90-day annual session, Griffith serves as the director of business development for Mid-Atlantic Title, a Timonium-based company. The lawmaker said his organization has seen a spike in alleged squatters abruptly halting real estate transactions in the state’s notoriously tight housing market.

“I have one client who has squatters in five of his properties right now,” Griffith said. “Unfortunately, there are folks out there right now who are helping to facilitate and profit upon this stealing of other people’s property.”

The Maryland legislature passed a bill during the last session that further defined the roles of landlords and tenants in state law. Effective July 1, every new lease is required to have an eight-page “Maryland Tenants’ Bill of Rights” affixed as an addendum.

Spotlight on Maryland asked Griffith if squatters are currently defined as tenants under state code.

“No, they shouldn’t be,” Griffith said. “But there are some questions in the law. I do believe the law is not clear on what a tenant is as it relates to squatters.”

“The upcoming session, I am going to introduce legislation, others will as well, that is going to try to sure up the language to make sure we are drawing a bright line between somebody who is a tenant, who has a lawful right to a property, and somebody who is moving into a property illegally,” Griffith added.

Griffith’s legislative proposal will also be joined by a separate bill Maryland state Sen. Ron Watson, a Democrat from Prince George’s County, plans to draft and file during the session’s interim.

Dubbed the Maryland Blockchain-Based Real Property Title Pilot Program Act of 2026, Watson said that the proposal aims to address a technology-driven problem with a technological solution.

“When blockchain came out several years ago, many said it was a solution waiting for a problem,” Watson said last Monday. “Guess what? We have a problem.”

Watson was one of the only lead sponsors to successfully pass an anti-squatting bill during the last session. The law, set to take effect in October, will expedite the court process for removing unauthorized occupants or squatters from property they do not own, which can currently take up to two years to resolve.

The Prince George’s County lawmaker said Marylanders from around the state continue to contact his office, saying the passed law does not go far enough.

“I’ve gotten so many emails, ‘We have to do something more, there needs to be something stronger,’ and I immediately began putting pen to paper,” Watson said.

Meanwhile, Griffith said that private property rights should be a key focus when lawmakers return to Annapolis in January. He added that the effort to address the state’s squatter problem has motivated both senior Democratic leaders and Republicans to collaborate across party lines.

“A piece of it is to make sure the law is crystal clear so there is no interpretation, not only from the law enforcement side, but also the court side,” Griffith said.

Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun. Follow Gary Collins with Spotlight on Maryland on X and Instagram. Do you have news tips on this story or others? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com.

During the past month, alleged unauthorized occupants, or squatters, in properties throughout the Baltimore region have repeatedly pointed Spotlight on Maryland to the Instagram account “nayomisavage.”

A man and woman, occupants in a Windsor Mill house, who asked to remain anonymous, provided us with an alleged leasing agreement between them and a woman named Kaniya Washington.

Mike Haskell, the owner of the Windsor Mill property, said that the family of four never received permission to access or live in the home. He discovered the occupancy after potential buyers noticed an unfamiliar moving truck in the driveway. The sale of the home was abruptly halted until Haskell paid the family $3,000 to vacate in a “cash for keys” deal.

The home occupants said the social media photo shown by Spotlight on Maryland matched the individual with whom they exchanged money, received keys and signed a lease.

Washington’s Instagram username was also mentioned in a Middle River incident report that Spotlight on Maryland obtained from the Baltimore County Police Department for a similar alleged squatting incident.

“[Male occupant] provided a document titled, ‘Squatters Lease Agreement Addendum,’ the police report said. “[The male occupant] later provided a lease agreement with a contract date on 04/21/2025 with the following parties listed in the agreement: Wf Properties LLC and [the male] for the property located at [address].”

“[The male occupant] stated that he and [his partner] had met a woman by the name of ‘Nayomi’ on Instagram who advised them that she could provide them with a home in any area that they wanted,” the BCPD report added.

The police report said the occupant provided no identifying information for the Instagram user.

An alleged lease provided to Spotlight on Maryland on Friday, May 30, in Windsor Mill, by purportedly unauthorized occupants, showing Kaniya Washington’s name listed as the contracted party. The property owner, Mike Haskell, said the occupants were not authorized to be in his home, and he has no idea who Washington was. The occupants said they were connected to the property by social media.

At the beginning of Spotlight on Maryland’s investigation over a month ago, a female occupant in a northwest Baltimore City home also claimed she was connected to the property by Washington.

“She’s advertising squatter homes,” the female occupant, asking to be identified as Monica, said. “She does this for a certain fee, and she’ll move you into somebody’s property that’s not yours, which is about my case.”

Spotlight on Maryland viewed a video posted on Washington’s social media account of an inside tour of what the property management company said was taken from inside the home. The management company said they never authorized Washington or others to gain access to the property and notified the Baltimore Police Department of an unlawful entry.

BPD said that the occupation of the northwest Baltimore home was a civil matter since a lease was provided.

On May 10, Spotlight on Maryland contacted the Instagram account that was advertising “last resort” or “squatter homes” to inquire about its content. Spotlight on Maryland asked the account about its frequent posting of videos and advertisements, including ones that showed the inside of a property claimed by a management company to have an unauthorized occupant living there.

“I categorically deny any unlawful entry or inappropriate access to any property,” Nayomisavage’s Instagram account replied. “Any video I have posted online was created within the bounds of the law and does not depict or imply illegal activity.”

That account asked not to be contacted again after asking how much Spotlight on Maryland would pay for an interview. The Instagram handle continued to post ads allegedly asking for a one-time payment for “available homes.”

Spotlight on Maryland requested an interview with Instagram user “nayomisavage,” after reviewing multiple posts featuring a person learned to be Kaniya Washington posting advertisements allegedly connecting individuals to “squatter” or “last resort” homes.

A post featuring Washington was published on Monday, asking a Spotlight on Maryland investigative journalist for an interview to discuss historic racial covenants and housing discrimination in Baltimore and Maryland.

“Gary Collins, how come you don’t want to do an interview now, but you only wanted to do an interview when I was portrayed to look like a monster,” Washington said in the video post. “You don’t want to interview? Let’s talk about covenant in the city. You don’t want to talk about that.”

After viewing the social media post featuring Washington requesting an interview, Spotlight on Maryland learned she was scheduled to appear in Frederick County District Court on Tuesday morning for an unrelated hearing regarding alleged traffic incidents. Spotlight on Maryland went outside the Frederick court building to interview Washington after her hearing to ask why she was advertising alleged squatter homes online.

“Coming to court is crazy,” Washington said. “Get away from me before I pluck you. I’m not playing with you.”

Video of the attempted interview showed Washington hitting the interviewer’s hand with a closed fist. She grabbed the microphone and threw the sound receiver across the court’s promenade before Frederick County Sheriff deputies escorted Washington off the premises.

While it is unclear what Washington’s role may be in online squatting networks in Maryland, several officials have acknowledged the broader issue of social media being used to fuel squatting.

“This is not a new issue for Baltimore or the state of Maryland,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said last Monday. “What is different, though, is these folks are doing the advertisements for these things online, which we are looking at whether we can hold these folks accountable.”

Kaniya Washington was escorted off Frederick District Court Property after an attempted interview with Spotlight on Maryland on Tuesday.

Spotlight on Maryland pressed Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on whether his administration was joining other governors around the country in taking immediate action to combat squatting and online advertisements connecting people to properties.

“I think you’re seeing how, in Maryland, we’re taking immediate action as well,” Moore said. “We’re working with all of our partners to be able to ensure that people can be safe, that people can be secure, and that laws are being followed.”

State Del. Ryan Nawrocki, R-Baltimore County, told Spotlight on Maryland hours after the governor’s initial comments on Thursday that he strongly disagreed.

“We have done nothing at the state level to address squatting in Maryland,” Nawrocki said.

A bill was passed during the most recent Maryland General Assembly session to expedite the eviction process for suspected squatters after a property owner or management company files a fraudulent complaint affidavit with law enforcement.

Observers say the legislation, which passed unanimously in the Maryland House and Senate, might still take at least seven weeks to reach a point where law enforcement can serve an eviction warrant on a suspected squatter.

No legislation to address the online networks that could be behind Maryland’s squatting has advanced in the legislature.

Since Spotlight on Maryland’s attempted interview on Tuesday with Washington, several posts, videos, and reels featuring the publicly facing “nayomisavage” Instagram account have been removed.

Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun. Do you have news tips on this story or others? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com.

Spotlight on Maryland learned on Monday from sources familiar with a case involving a 17-year-old male, who remains under the supervision of the Montgomery County Juvenile Court, that the teen was immediately released into the community on an ankle monitor after the case was remanded from the adult justice system.

The juvenile was initially arrested for allegedly shooting at another teen in a park in Montgomery County on Aug. 6. Those familiar with the incidents claimed that the juvenile is also believed to have been involved in another shooting a day later in neighboring Frederick County.

The source said the juvenile was initially released in February at the advocacy and request of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. A juvenile court judge agreed to release the teen during his hearing and sustained his ruling throughout follow-up court appearances for months.

Spotlight on Maryland cannot disclose the teen’s name due to state regulations designed to protect the identities of juveniles accused of a crime.

State Sen. William Folden, R-Frederick County, said that he has many questions about why the juvenile is on the streets instead of undergoing lengthy rehabilitation in a structured environment.

“Ever since the legislature passed juvenile justice reform measures, they’ve done a lot to not allow for proper prosecution or accountability,” Folden said.

Spotlight on Maryland shared with Folden court sourcing that the teen appeared before a Montgomery County judge on the same day Acting Secretary Betsy Fox Tolentino assumed leadership of the Department of Juvenile Services.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore appointed Fox Tolentino following the sudden resignation of former DJS Secretary Vincent Schiraldi last week.

Sourcing said the juvenile was asked to leave his parents’ house after an altercation with his father. The teen allegedly told the court that he would live with extended family. Despite the claimed domestic violence, the juvenile court continued to deny all requests for detention.

Instead, the court source said that the teen was authorized to spend several weeks at a summer camp out of state, beyond the immediate supervision of the Maryland court.

“This is just another failure of the Department of Juvenile Services to have accountability for these types of actions by juveniles,” Folden said. “Also, this is reckless endangerment to our community.”

Spotlight on Maryland sent multiple questions to DJS on Monday afternoon, including: “What is Secretary Fox Tolentino’s position on youth detention? Are there instances in which repeat juvenile offenders should be detained? What actions will Secretary Fox Tolentino take that are different than her predecessor? Is DJS seeing an uptick in organized gang activity that involves Maryland’s justice-involved teens?”

Michael Sharp, spokesperson for DJS, requested additional details about the incident from Spotlight on Maryland, including the names and ages of the juveniles involved. No further response was given to the submitted questions.

The DJS spokesperson added that his team would contact Spotlight on Maryland next week to discuss the logistics of an interview with Fox Tolentino.

Meanwhile, Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith told Spotlight on Maryland that his office had experienced a more than 40% increase in violent juvenile charges referred to him since last summer.

“I think the biggest issue is violent juvenile offenders,” Smith said. “What we need to do is recognize that they pose an adult public safety risk, and yet, they are still juveniles, and we need to rehabilitate them as such.”

Smith said he hopes the new DJS secretary will adopt a blended approach to combating juvenile crime instead of an open-release policy.

“A blended approach would recognize that [juvenile offenders] are true public safety threats, carjackings, robberies, etc., but they need to be rehabilitated as youth because their minds and brains are not just developed yet, and they’re doing stupid things.”

“Unfortunately, these stupid things are very violent,” Smith added.

The 17-year-old and an associate allegedly involved in the Montgomery and Frederick county shootings are reportedly linked to the “M-Block,” a Maryland-based gang, according to court sources.

“We’ve seen exploitation of youth,” Smith said. “[Juveniles] know that they’re not going to be subject to placement, they’re not going to be removed from their home, they’re not going to get much of a probation, it’s going to be closed out within a couple of months.”

“I think a lot of people in this day and age think, ‘Oh, I don’t want juveniles to come into the criminal justice system,’ but in many ways, that’s the best thing that could possibly happen to them,” Smith added.

The juvenile’s father denied Spotlight on Maryland’s request for an interview.

Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun. Follow Gary Collins with Spotlight on Maryland on X. Do you have news tips on this story or others? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com.

Spotlight on Maryland pressed Moore on Thursday after an unrelated news conference in Annapolis about what his administration is doing to immediately address squatting in the state.

“I think you’re seeing how, in Maryland, we’re taking immediate action as well,” Moore said. “We’re working with all of our partners to be able to ensure that people can be safe, that people can be secure, and that laws are being followed.”

Republican State Del. Ryan Nawrocki, of Baltimore County, told Spotlight on Maryland hours later that he could not disagree more with Moore.

“We have done nothing at the state level to address squatting in Maryland,” Nawrocki said. “I understand that the governor is making all kinds of claims about this issue, but at the end of the day, the governor is certainly entitled to his own opinion on the matter, but not entitled to his own set of facts.”

“The facts are that squatting is out of control, and frankly, we have no law-and-order in this state right now, and that is partly the governor’s fault,” Nawrocki added.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Monday that squatting is a widespread issue requiring state-level changes to ensure accountability and curb the problem.

“What is different, though, is that these folks are doing the advertisement for these things online,” Scott said. “Which we are looking at, if there are ways to hold them responsible legally it may end up being that we have state laws change in the session next year.”

Asked what his administration is doing to tackle the problem locally, the mayor doubled down.

“What we will do is enforce laws based on what we have the authority to do, the City of Baltimore. That’s to arrest people, under Maryland state law, [we] can do just that,” Scott said. “As far as the other stuff, you’re going to have to talk to the folks at the state level, not me.”

“Meanwhile, Moore’s comments on Thursday contradict Scott’s claim that the city has squatting enforcement limitations and that the state government needs to act.”

“I don’t think that there is not a single person or partner we’re not working with to be able to address the issue,” Moore said.

Nawrocki said he has not seen any action from Moore’s administration to address pleas for assistance from real estate professionals and local government officials in the state.

“In my own district, we have instances of squatting right now, as we speak, right in Middle River,” Nawrocki said. “There are organized networks of individuals that are very serious, often engaged with very bad actors, doing really harmful things in our state that is destroying our housing market.”

After speaking with the governor on Thursday, Spotlight on Maryland reviewed multiple accounts advertising “last resort” or “squatter’s homes” on several social media platforms. Ads connecting occupants with homes for a one-time fee, a set of keys, and a manufactured lease agreement allegedly aim to evade eviction when the property owner discovers the unauthorized occupancy persists.

“House deal or no deal today,” one Instagram user wrote. “You tell me what you want to pay to move and I say deal or no deal if we do deal must be money ready.”

Eugene, a Baltimore-area real estate professional who asked to be identified only by his first name for safety reasons, said he felt Moore dismissed the seriousness of the squatting in the state. He said the governor’s inaction is “leaving Maryland behind” in adapting to the elaborate squatting schemes seen in other states and being addressed.

“The governor and the mayor have done absolutely nothing to address the squatter crisis in Baltimore City, the county, or the state,” Eugene said. “Until the issue hits someone in their own circle, they will continue to ignore it.”

“Governor, you say you are working with everyone? You are not working with any landlords, I can assure you that,” Eugene added.

Eugene pointed to a single-family home in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood where an alleged squatter was seen moving his family into the property last week. A real estate agent noticed a moving truck in front of the home and saw furniture that the occupants had moved inside, which was otherwise set to be staged.

“[Property owners] are beyond fed up,” Eugene said. “Without serious leadership, Baltimore and Maryland as a whole will continue to fall behind.”

Governors and state assemblies from both parties in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, and New York have either redefined squatting as a criminal act while targeting organized activities that encourage unauthorized occupancy or passed laws to remove individuals from properties within hours or days.

Nearly all states that have acted have also established “squatter task forces” to address the issue swiftly.

Maryland Sen. Ron Watson, a Prince George’s County Democrat, was the lead sponsor of a bill amending the state’s real estate code to expedite the eviction process for suspected squatters after a property owner or management company files a fraudulent complaint affidavit with law enforcement.

Observers say the legislation, which passed unanimously in the Maryland House and Senate and takes effect in October, might still take at least seven weeks to reach a point where law enforcement can serve an eviction warrant on a suspected squatter.

While Nawrocki applauds Watson’s bill, which was signed into law by Moore, but he said he is concerned that the eviction process may ultimately extend several months beyond the anticipated seven weeks, leaving property owners with little relief.

“The governor has the executive order privilege … he could certainly issue an executive order right now to act in an emergency capacity,” Nawrocki said. “He could also direct various state law enforcement agencies to take stronger action, like the state police.”

Spotlight on Maryland is a partnership between The Baltimore Sun and FOX45 News. Have a news tip? Contact Gary Collins at gmcollins@sbgtv.com.

Leo, a general contractor who requested to be identified only by his nickname for safety reasons, told Spotlight on Maryland Friday that the suspected squatting he has encountered has skyrocketed in recent months.

“When the client reached out to us, they had given us a date to come in, but then shortly after, the client had advised us we weren’t able to go in,” Leo said. “Unfortunately, the client had advised us that the premise was being occupied by squatters.”

During his interview on Friday, the contractor checked the property to ensure that the safety mechanisms he installed on the East Baltimore City row house were still functioning correctly.

After he and the property owner regained access to the rowhouse following a monthslong eviction court battle that cost thousands, Leo installed advanced locks and plywood over the entryways. The contractor said fixing a property after an alleged squatter vacates or is evicted is “thousands of dollars easily.”

“If I had to put a number on it, you’re at least $5,000 starting, in legal fees, opportunity costs, time lost, stress, different resources you’re going to have to pull in to regain your property and secure it,” Leo said.

Leo’s experience is not isolated.

Spotlight on Maryland reported one week ago about Mike Haskell, a Baltimore County homeowner, who received a call from the contracted buyer of his Windsor Mill home, notifying him that an unknown moving truck was in the property’s driveway. Haskell and the prospective buyer were scheduled to meet at the closing table the next morning.

“The person who was in the house said they had been there for about a week,” Haskell said. “They said they had a lease, and the officer basically walked away.”

Haskell negotiated with the occupant on the front porch for a prompt move-out to ensure the property’s sale did not fall through. The male occupant told Haskell and Spotlight on Maryland that he, his female partner, and two children were connected to the property through online social media accounts advertising a one-time fee for keys.

The homeowner paid $3,000 for the family to move out of his house last Wednesday. The male and female occupants confirmed payment via phone to Spotlight on Maryland, saying they had successfully vacated the property.

Haskell sent Spotlight on Maryland a video of his property after the previous occupants moved out. The video showed trash scattered throughout the two-story home, which was listed for over $400,000. During the video tour, Haskell highlighted remnants of pet urine and feces allegedly left by the previous occupants.

“They banged out one of the screen panels,” Haskell said in the video. “Trash, food, all over the house. They couldn’t even bother putting it in the trash can?”

Baltimore County police officials said Tuesday that they were unable to provide body-worn camera footage from a separate alleged squatting incident in Middle River. This incident occurred just hours before Haskell called the police after finding occupants inside his home. The police department cited an ongoing investigation as the reason for the current denial of public records.

Spotlight on Maryland was notified on Sunday about another property reportedly occupied by squatters in the Franklin Square neighborhood of Baltimore City.

After officers from the Baltimore Police Department responded two hours after the initial emergency calls about an active burglary, they arrived on the scene and made contact with the property’s occupants.

“I believe you when you say you didn’t break in,” a BPD officer told an alleged female squatter. “But let’s be honest: It doesn’t sound right.”

BPD officers removed two females from the property, whom the property owner told Spotlight on Maryland were unknown and never authorized to access the home. None of the occupants could provide a copy of a lease or validate their presence to the satisfaction of the BPD.

As officers approached the female occupants at the back of the property, a male fled through the front door. While clearing the house, police were not monitoring the front of the property.

The homeowner claimed that the property suffered over $20,000 in interior damage, including the cost to remove drug paraphernalia allegedly left behind by the previous occupants. Trash and broken glass were visible in the backyard, with the occupants saying they were not responsible.

Meanwhile, Leo said these incidents share several similarities requiring prompt legal and legislative action.

“It affects everybody,” Leo said. “Really, the people it affects the most, I think, tend to get forgotten, are the community and the residents that live in these neighborhoods.”

Spotlight on Maryland is a partnership between The Baltimore Sun and FOX45 News. Have a news tip? Contact Gary Collins at gmcollins@sbgtv.com.

Alleged squatters took over her taxpayer-funded project, with one occupant eventually arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants during a tense multihour standoff with police.

“I was coming here around 7:00, 7:15 this morning. I was meeting one of my contractors here,” Bartholomew said Friday. “I saw a gentleman walking out of the house, and he didn’t look like anyone who was even a subcontractor of the guys that we hire.”

The celebrated community activist and redevelopment veteran who served on Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s transition team said that the man told her that he had been living in the East 22nd Street property.

“He said he has a lease,” Bartholomew said. “We did call the police. Now, here we are, finding out we have a full family in here, literally within the last 24 to 48 hours, [they] found their way inside the property.”

Officers from the Baltimore Police Department escorted a property management worker to the back door, so he could try to gain entry to the four-story row house. But the door was braced.

“Nah, man. Get off of my property,” a man said from a third-floor window. “I just talked to y’all. I just showed you my lease. I want to know what the problem is now?”

Police told the man that he had active warrants out. They also discovered that a female occupant was wearing an ankle monitor.

Officers prepared a battering ram and shield to breach the property’s door while waiting for authorization to proceed. Over an hour later, they still had not received the necessary authority to gain access to the home.

The scene’s commanding officer told the male occupant that they would serve the warrants regardless of the occupancy dispute. After a two-hour standoff, the man ultimately came out of the property’s front door, surrendered peacefully to police, and was placed into custody.

Spotlight on Maryland pressed the BPD on Friday night for details about the arrest.

“I can confirm that officers were called to the location for possible squatting,” Officer Vernon Davis, a BPD spokesperson, said. “During the investigation, they discovered that [a 34-year-old male] had an open warrant and was subsequently arrested.”

“However, the report did not specify the nature of the warrant,” Officer Davis added.

Spotlight on Maryland has been investigating social media-fueled squatting accounts across Maryland for over three weeks. These accounts allegedly connect occupants with properties for a one-time fee and provide them with a fraudulent lease.

As of Friday, Spotlight on Maryland has identified nine properties in Baltimore County and Baltimore City where similar social media users are mentioned in police reports, listed on alleged fraudulent leases or names overheard by property owners.

Mayor Scott told Spotlight on Maryland at City Hall over two weeks ago that there was an “active investigation” into the online accounts allegedly orchestrating and bragging about making money from selling, leasing and connecting individuals to “last resort” or squatter houses.

Dels. Ryan Nawrocki and Kathy Szeliga, both Baltimore County Republicans, sent a letter to Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger, demanding arrests and a crackdown on online squatter networks.

“We are writing to request action to combat the recent rise of squatters in Baltimore County,” the state legislators wrote. “It is both a nuisance and a threat to the community when unauthorized people live in homes on fake leases made up by scam artists.”

“We ask that these scammers be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for their crimes so that they can send a message to anyone considering entering a squatter’s ring in Baltimore County,” Nawrocki and Szeliga added.

Neither Klausmeier’s nor Shellenberger’s offices responded late Friday night to Spotlight on Maryland’s request for comment.

Meanwhile, Bartholomew said that local and state laws must change rapidly to protect every corner of the state.

“I think that everybody, regardless of what side of the table you sit on, we all need to collectively come together and figure this out, or we are going to continue to start feeling the burnout from your committed community developers that want to do right,” Bartholomew said.

The property owner said that she also believes those responsible for organized social media networks illegally connecting individuals to properties should be held accountable promptly.

“They’re saying they gave somebody $2,800 cash,” Bartholomew said. “The [social media users] need to be held accountable. They’re only now communicating to the officers through text, saying they’re out of town, they’re not available to get on the phone.”

While the man was in police custody, the female occupant continued to live at the property Friday night. Police told Bartholomew she would need to resolve the matter through civil action to remove the remaining individuals.

“Trust and believe I will be making a lot of phone calls and emails to get this a great attention so we can hopefully get this matter resolved,” Bartholomew said.

Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun. Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com.