Party-throwing squatters evicted from mansion near LeBron James’ Beverly Hills home

NBA star LeBron James got more than he bargained for when he bought a $36.75-million Mediterranean-style home in Beverly Hills back in 2020.

Just a few doors down from James’ home, a group “squatting” in 1316 Beverly Grove Place started throwing parties reminiscent of Burning Man, complete with DJ sets and rave lights, at all hours of the night, Curbed reported.

In January, the owner of 1316 Beverly Grove Place started eviction proceedings against the squatters, according to court records. The group agreed in late February to vacate the home in 30 days and left only recently.

But for months prior, neighbors of 1316 Beverly Grove Place had raised complaints about the squatters, reportedly to no avail.

One of James’ neighbors told Curbed that they got in touch with James’ house manager, who said he was “very concerned” about the squatters. A representative for James declined to comment.

James purchased the home from the estate of Lee Phillip Bell, the co-creator of “The Young and the Restless” who died in 2020 .

At one point when residents were trying to get the squatters out, police showed up at the home, Curbed reported. The main culprit of the group, Morgan Gargiulo, told police that he has a lease and an internet bill in his name registered to the house.

Gargiulo first toured the mansion in September 2023, although it’s unclear how he got access to the property.

Records show the property near James’ home has changed hands multiple times in recent years.

The former owner of 1316 Beverly Grove Place is Paul Turley, according to property records. Turley pleaded guilty in 2018 for his role in one of California’s largest insurance fraud cases. He was sentenced to two years in prison in 2022.

Even though Turley technically owned the home, the person who lived in it before Gargiulo and the squatters arrived was Munir Uwaydah, an orthopedic surgeon and Turley’s alleged co-conspirator in the $150-million workers’ compensation fraud scheme.

Uwaydah fled the country in 2010, after he was accused of hiring someone to kill his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend, Juliana Redding. A person was charged and tried for her slaying but was acquitted and Uwaydah was never formally charged in connection to Redding’s death.

Uwaydah was indicted in 2015 for his alleged role in the insurance fraud scheme but is reportedly hiding out in Lebanon.

Turley signed the deed to the home over to Notre Dame Properties — which prosecutors say is controlled by Uwaydah — a few months before he was indicted, according to property records.

In 2021, a judge ordered a trustee to take control of the home under California’s “freeze and seize law” that allows the state to take the assets of convicted white collar criminals. The home was intended to be sold to pay restitution to the victims of Turley and Uwaydah’s fraud scheme, but Notre Dame Properties sold the home to a differerent LLC.

On Jan. 18, that owner filed a lawsuit against the squatters for eviction.

Besides the home in Beverly Hills, James also owns two homes in Brentwood; one he bought in 2019 for $23 million and another that he bought for $21 million in 2017.