Family Scammed in Facebook Home Rental Faces Criminal and Civil Ramifications
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
June 6, 2025
FOLEY, Ala. Foley police officers were called to a rental scam conflict on Wednesday and detained a person while they investigated.
Police responded to the scam after a property manager notified police of the problem.
A family was living in a home illegally according to the manager.
The family includes 29-year-old Chad New, who’s paralyzed from the neck down, bound to the home on a ventilator. They’ve been living there for three weeks and paid a $2,000 deposit.
But the deal they made on Facebook Marketplace was bogus. They were conned by someone posing as the homeowner, and they just found out last week that they needed to leave immediately. But they have nowhere to go according to the family.
They’re currently using a realtor to look for a new home that will accommodate Chad.
“It’s just really stressing me out, where I can’t sleep and I’m sitting here worried about what’s going to happen,” said New.
New’s been paralyzed since he was 14 after being injured in a car accident. On Wednesday afternoon, things for his family took a turn for the worse when a police officer came to the front door.
“He said, ‘please come with me to the car,'” Joe Baglioni said. “At that point in time, he told me to turn around, and he pushed me against the car.”
Baglioni is New’s stepfather and one of his caretakers. He said police placed him in handcuffs for reportedly squatting in the home he was conned into renting.
However, Police Chief Thurston Bullock said that News was detained during the investigation but was not arrested. According to the police chief, there was never a signed warrant for his arrest.
Baglioni says relocating isn’t so straightforward. His son’s medical equipment needs enough space to move through the house.
Bullock says the property managers are also victims in this scam. He says they are trying to run a business, while also being compassionate.
For now, Bullock says the property managers have not fully filed the complaint to give the family a 24-hour notice to leave.
This may become a civil and possibly even a criminal matter in the upcoming weeks.
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