metro
Published December 23, 2023, 8:12 am ET
A pair of allegedly racist Long Island squatters who hadn't paid off their mortgage in more than a decade appear to have finally moved out, a week after the Post exposed their “abuse” of the court system.
Moving trucks were spotted Wednesday in the driveway of the 1,536-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bathroom home on Friendly Lane in Jericho, said Bobby Chawla, whose family bought the home 22 months ago in a bank auction but was unable to move in , because the accused squatters Barry and Barbara Pollack didn't want to leave.
On Friday, the house appeared to be empty and the Pollacks were nowhere to be seen.
“It feels like a Christmas miracle, I can't believe it,” said Chawla, who cannot officially take over the house without a judge's approval.
“I felt a sense of relief. . . . but I won't be satisfied until I own my house. This guy can’t be trusted.”
The Pollacks bought the house in September 1990 for $255,000, but ran into financial difficulties in 2006 and fought for 17 years in three different courts to keep it.
Accused squatter Barry Pollack appeared to be moving out just days after the Post exposed his alleged “abuse” of the court system. Georgette Roberts
The home was auctioned off by a bank after the couple was sued for foreclosure in 2008, dragging the case out for 11 years, records show.
They then began filing “bald” and “frivolous” bankruptcies, according to court documents.
Filing the paperwork automatically paused any eviction – including in November, when movers hired by the Chawlas to vacate the house were forced to cancel the eviction after Barbara Pollack showed up with the bankruptcy papers.
A moving truck showed up on Wednesday. Courtesy of Bobby Chawla The Pollacks appear to have moved out after The Post reported the story last week. Dennis A Clark
Barry Pollack was caught on video telling the Chawlas, whose parents are from India, to “go back to Pakistan.”
On Friday, a federal bankruptcy judge barred the Pollacks from filing further.
“While most debtors are honest and hard-working individuals seeking a fresh start in bankruptcy, this is not the case with these debtors,” said the Chawlas' attorney, Heath Berger.
Pollack, pictured here last week, is said to have told the new owners to go “back to Pakistan”. Dennis A. Clark Bobby Chawla and his pregnant sister Gege needed an official word from the court before they could actually move into the house. Dennis A Clark
“Hopefully they have filed their final petition in bankruptcy court.”
Barry Pollack did not respond to a message.
Additional reporting by Dennis Clark
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