CALGARY – The landlord at the centre of a widely publicized dispute with her ‘Freeman-on-the-Land’ tenant got to view her Parkdale duplex for the first time in 15 months on Monday.
Rebekah Caverhill has been locked in a battle with Andreas Pirelli, whose real name is Mario Antonacci, after he declared the rental a ‘sovereign embassy’ for the so-called Freeman-on-the-Land movement.
Pirelli allegedly changed the locks and refused to leave, but was arrested by Calgary Police on Friday on outstanding warrants in Quebec.
Police confirmed on Friday night that six squatters still inside the Parkdale duplex even after Pirelli’s arrest had left.
An eviction notice stated that the house had to be vacated by Friday at midnight. Police say the remaining people inside the home left without trouble, before the deadline.
Caverhill currently lives in Sylvan Lake, but travelled to Calgary to view her rental property.
“I’m glad my dad isn’t alive, because he would be so upset,” she says, of the nearly unrecognizable home. “He worked so hard, he had everything so pristine. And this looks like a knocker-downer.”
The kitchen and bathroom were completely gutted by Antonacci, who told Caverhill he was a handyman and convinced her to let him make improvements. There are now two liens on her home as a result, and Caverhill says she worries about future victims.
“There are people who talk a good game. He’s a good con artist, I’ll tell you that.”
GALLERY: Inside the Calgary duplex declared a Freeman-on-the-Land Embassy by a troublesome tenant.
Pirelli met with a justice of the peace on Friday morning, and will be remanded in custody for the next six days until he is transported back to Quebec.
Police say at this point, they don’t anticipate laying any criminal charges against Pirelli.
However, he had been charged with being an unlicensed contractor, following an undercover sting by Service Alberta.
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