A serial squatter has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Dallas, Texas, bringing an end to a decades-long pattern of fraud that left multiple homeowners with financial and physical devastation. Heather Schwab pleaded guilty to felony fraud after tricking a young couple, Jessica and Colin Davis, into leasing them their Rowlett, Texas home in 2023 using her father's identity, causing the couple to eventually lose the property after missing mortgage payments meant to be covered by rent.

Since 1999, Schwab has faced repeated fraud, forgery and theft charges across Colorado and Texas, and has been evicted almost 30 times since 2005, using aliases including Heather Ann Ruybal and Rayes Ruybal to slip past background checks. After leaving the Davis home in a filthy state, she went on to rent a Denver property from landlord Stephanie Williams under a false identity in 2024, before vacating in September 2025 and leaving behind her son, who contaminated the house with methamphetamine, leaving Williams facing a roughly $30,000 clean-up bill not covered by insurance.