Heather Ruybal, a career squatter who ripped off landlords across Texas and Colorado, today received a 20‑year prison term for felony fraud.
Crime Spree and Legal Fallout
From Texas to Colorado, Ruybal repeatedly moved into rental homes. She trashed them, refused rent, and exploited eviction rules while using false names on checks and lease agreements.
A Dallas court imposed the maximum sentence after she signed a bad check under a false name to lease a 2023 home. She must pay $40,000 in restitution to landlady Jessica Davis, the New York Post reported.
The Davises discovered urine and cigarette odors, piles of trash, and clogged toilets filled with massive toilet‑paper masses during her tenancy. Unable to collect rent, they missed mortgage payments and lost the home.
Additional Victims and Ongoing Charges
Ruybal’s 2018 Colorado conviction for using her father’s and aunt’s identities to lease a home helped the court boost her sentence. After an early release she immediately returned to renting another property from landlady Stephanie Williams in 2024, who alleges the home was contaminated with methamphetamine.
She also faces felony charges in Denver for allegedly stealing more than $500,000 from a former employer while working as a payroll manager and bookkeeper. Prosecutors say she funneled payments through fictitious employees and a shell company, according to a Denver7 arrest affidavit.
Ruybal appeared in court on Tuesday for the Denver fraud case. Prosecutors say she is a “career criminal” who will revert to fraud without a long incarceration.
Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Amber Moore said, “We wanted the court to make sure the judge understands that she’s basically a career criminal.” She warned that any lighter sentence would let Ruybal resume fraud.
Ruybal’s lengthy sentence underscores Texas’ tough stance on property fraud. Her pending Denver case highlights the broader national challenge of squatters exploiting weak eviction enforcement.
