A “greedy and grotesque” LA woman has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for fraudulently obtaining real-estate property in a multimillion-dollar squatting scheme that included dismembering and disposing of a body.
Caroline Joanne Herrling, 44, of West Hills was sentenced Friday to 240 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $3,887,051 in restitution for the elaborate racket, the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement.
“This defendant’s misconduct was both greedy and grotesque, causing profound pain to the victims and their loved ones,” US Attorney Martin Estrada said.
“There must be serious consequences for those who prey on vulnerable communities, such as older adults, and my office will remain steadfast in bringing these offenders to justice,” he added.
Herrling, who also is known as “Carrie Phenix,” and her co-conspirators “preyed on vulnerable victims by searching for properties in affluent neighborhoods that appeared unkempt,” officials said.
She used online mapping programs and visited tony neighborhoods to look for algae-filled swimming pools and overgrown shrubbery to target homes whose residents were unable to care for their properties, according to the statement.
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