Heather Ruybal has officially run out of second chances. The serial squatter, who allegedly turned a Texas family’s dream rental into a nightmare, will now spend up to two decades behind bars.
A Dallas judge handed down the maximum sentence of 20 years on Aug. 31, just weeks after a jury found Ruybal guilty of felony fraud. Court records show she used her father’s identity to lease a home in Rowlett, Texas, under the alias Heather Schwab, and reportedly never paid a single dollar of rent.
The victim, Jessica Davis, told reporters she listed her four-bedroom property on Zillow, only to have it turned into what she described as a foul mess. According to Davis, the home reeked of urine and cigarette smoke after Ruybal finally moved out, with clogged toilets and debris scattered throughout. The financial hit was so severe that Davis says she ultimately lost the property to foreclosure.
Assistant Dallas County District Attorney Amber Moore argued in court that Ruybal’s actions weren’t a one-time mistake, but a calculated lifestyle. Moore pointed to a decades-long pattern of moving into homes with no intention of paying, allegedly exploiting the slow eviction process to stay for months.
The investigation uncovered a 𝓈𝒽𝓸𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 paper trail. Prosecutors say Ruybal has been evicted nearly three dozen times across Texas and Colorado over a span of more than 20 years. Her criminal history includes a 2018 conviction in Colorado, where she reportedly used both her father’s and aunt’s identities to secure a lease.
She served just over three years of a six-year sentence before being released.
That prior conviction allowed the judge to enhance her current sentence. Moore told reporters the goal was to show the court that Ruybal is, in her words, a career criminal with no remorse.
The troubles don’t stop there. One Colorado landlord, Stephanie Williams, told Denver7 that Ruybal allegedly contaminated a rental property with methamphetamine. Williams also claimed that Ruybal’s son was living in the home without permission, while Ruybal herself had moved on to another property in Castle Rock and reportedly stopped paying rent there too.
Ruybal was also ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution to Davis, though authorities say parole eligibility may come after just five years behind bars.
Moore expressed hope that the lengthy sentence sends a clear message, saying, “No longer is she going to be able to do something like this and get away with it.”
As if that weren’t enough, Ruybal is now facing separate felony charges in Denver. According to a recently unsealed arrest affidavit, she allegedly stole more than $500,000 from a former employer while working as a payroll manager and bookkeeper. Court documents claim she funneled payments to 𝒻𝒶𝓀𝑒 employees and a shell company tied to her own bank accounts over nearly two years.
With a 20-year sentence already on the table and a brand-new fraud case just beginning, what else could possibly come out in court?
