A squatter who used phoney phony utility bills and a forged lease to live in a Queens house -- and even filed a lawsuit against the rightful property owner -- is now facing a litany charges that could send him to prison for more than a decade, the local district attorney said.

Lance White-Hunt, 24 and of Brooklyn, was arraigned earlier this week on an 18-count indictment charging him with burglary in the second degree; two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree; five counts of identity theft in the first degree; attempted grand larceny in the third degree; attempted criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree; offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree; tampering with physical evidence; three counts of criminal mischief in the fourth degree; petit larceny; and two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree.

If convicted, White-Hunt faces up to 15 years in prison. He is set to return to court on June 11. Attorney information was not immediately known.

According to the charges, around Feb. 23, the owner of a Jamaica, Queens home since 2020 on Lakewood Avenue listed it for rent through a broker. Allegedly, for several weeks, the broker visited the location various times weekly and saw that the house was vacant, the windows closed and not damaged and the doors locked.

However, days later, on March 1, the same broker who made regular stops at the property saw that the locks were changed on the front door and that her key no longer worked, according to the charges. It was then, on March 4, that the broker allegedly saw White-Hunt inside the residence and police were called. Allegedly, White-Hunt had been staying at the location since January and provided a supposed lease with the broker with the same real estate agency that the broker worked for listed as the landlords.

The broker then reviewed the lease, which she had never seen before and found her forged signature, according to the charges. Subsequently, on March 5, the police arrived at the location again and White-Hunt provided a supposed bill from National Grid and AT&T as proof of residence. However, both companies later confirmed that the account numbers did not exist in their official records.

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Then, on March 14, White-Hunt proceeded to file a lawsuit against the homeowner’s LLC, the broker, and real estate agency for being illegal lockout. As part of the civil suit, White-Hunt filed a residential lease that was determined to have been forged and was a different lease than that provided by White-Hunt to officers on scene on March 4. The civil lawsuit was later discontinued with prejudice.

Following an investigation, White-Hunt was arrested on May 13.

"You cannot claim rights to a home that you have entered illegally," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. "My office will not allow individuals to capitalize on the confusion surrounding squatters’ rights for their own personal gain. We will bring criminal charges and secure indictments not only for the unlawful occupancy, but also for any forged documents used in the commission of the crime. The law does not permit illegal residency and we will continue to prosecute such cases in Queens.”