Mercer County authorities have arrested a dozen rental scammers who moved into homes that were vacant or being foreclosed.

The alleged fraudsters would change the locks, turn on utilities and live rent-free and sometimes create leases and rent the properties to others, confusing real estate agents and police officers.

And they had a Trenton Water Works employee illegally turning on the water service for them.

When bank inspectors or property managers would stop in to check on the home or show it, they would find the occupants and have to call local police to step in and try to figure out the situations.

Alleged ring leader Barbara Brooks

"These are brazen criminals who educated themselves on squatters' rights and took advantage of the civil court process," Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said in a Friday statement announcing the arrests and charges.

"This created a challenge for local police who were being called out to the homes. Occupants were providing legal-looking leases and cash receipts for rent, and there would be conflicting versions of who had the right to be there."

Hamilton Township Police investigated about 50 incidents in a 14-month period but charges have also been filed for properties in Ewing, Lawrence and Princeton townships, authorities said. The scams have been increasing in the past several years.

Evicting the illegal residents became so costly for banks and real estate companies that they would offer "cash for keys" payments of a few hundred to a few thousand dollars so that the squatter would leave the property without having to go through eviction proceedings in civil court.

"Thanks to the collaborative efforts of our police departments in Mercer County, we were able to identify multiple individuals that moved from squatting in one town to another. We were also able to identify those individuals involved in a more sophisticated rental scheme," Onofri said.

The problem has been plaguing Mercer County for several years, leading Trenton and county officials to form the Fraudulent Housing Occupancy Task Force, prompting press conferences, community meetings and spurring the development of a uniform approach from county and municipal law enforcement.

Prosecutor's Detective Zachary Ortman was tasked with heading a uniform approach, in the fall of 2017, Onofri said.

"This was a massive, complex investigative and legal undertaking," Onofri said. "Detectives spent countless hours conducting surveillance, studying the eviction process and adverse possession, and combing through social media in order to obtain crucial evidence that allowed them to connect the dots and identify the many scam artists involved."

What they found was that the same names and techniques kept popping up.

Detectives identified Barbara Brooks, 48, of Trenton, as the alleged leader of the ring. She allegedly found the foreclosed and vacant properties, made fake leases and recruited and instructed others on the process -- and what to say to police when they showed up at the door.

Brooks also allegedly recruited Michael Wilmore, 44, of Florence, a Trenton Water Works, employee to turn on water at numerous properties.

Trenton City employee Michael Wilmore

Wilmore was suspended from his job following his March 23 arrest, a city spokesman said.

Latasha Love, 32, of Ewing, authorities say, ran one of the more egregious examples of the scam. Love allegedly lived rent-free in a foreclosed home on Sabrina Drive in Ewing for months.

She was arrested by police and then moved into a home in Princeton but told Rasheeda Harris, 32, of Hamilton, to take over the "lease" and move into the Ewing home. Love was arrested when she tried to move back into the Ewing home a second time and was allegedly paid by a real estate agency to leave the Sabrina Drive residence.

Love faces similar charges in Yardley, Pa. and she was charged in Mercer County with perjury, theft by deception and falsifying complaints.

After being charged for occupying a home on Lawrenceville Road in Princeton, police found Love in the home - again.

Latasha Love

She allegedly showed officers an order signed by a judge. Authorities investigated and found that Love filed a motion in court against a real estate agent who was the former listing agent for the property.

Love allegedly created a fraudulent lease that named the prior owner as the renter and provided false information in the motion and again on the record in court.

The other eight people who were arrested were: Endiya Thompson, 21, of Sicklerville; Jamar Hill, 37, of Hamilton; Shea Lightfoot, 38, of Willingboro; Dominique Morgan, 31, of Hamilton; Tarrik Boles, 36, of Hamilton; Shauntee Stokes, 40, of Trenton; Sandra Freeman, 49, of Hamilton; and Eddie Thompson, 45, of Trenton.

All 12 suspects were charged with third- and fourth-degree crimes of burglary, theft of services, failure to make lawful disposition and criminal mischief. They were released pending future court dates.

Authorities are urging real estate and property management personnel to call local police if they find anyone illegally inhabiting a property.

"There is a misconception that owners need to go through the eviction process when there is an occupant unlawfully inside," Onofri said. "That holds true when a tenant has a valid lease; then the eviction process must be followed. Without a valid lease, the situation becomes criminal."

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.