People v. James Jacobs — First Squatter Removal Prosecution
First-ever prosecution of a squatter removal operator in California history. DA Stephen Wagstaffe charged defendant with 7 felonies despite responding officer assessing incident as civil property dispute. Star witness has 11 pending firearms charges, burglary conviction, witness intimidation conviction, and a listed attorney who doesn't exist in the State Bar. Co-defendant with the gun offered 1 year; defendant with a sword offered 7 years.
The Incident
On January 6, 2026 at approximately 2:30 AM, a team of seven to eight individuals employed by ASAP Squatter Removal entered a property at 260 Allen Drive in San Bruno. The property had been legally sold by the Silvino and Magda Manzano Trust to Jae Holdings Inc in September 2025. The former owner's son, Silvino Manzano Jr., refused to leave despite having no lease, paying no rent, and being told by his mother to vacate. He brought four friends into the gutted property — a construction site with a $990,000 mortgage that had been "taken down to the studs."
The team used a battering ram on a side gate (not a door), then entered through an open window in the in-law suite. The responding officer, Corporal Anthony McKenna of San Bruno PD, initially classified the incident as a civil property dispute and released all ASAP personnel without arrest. McKenna later reclassified it to criminal after discovering ASAP's YouTube channel — an investigation he conducted while deliberately concealing it from the defendant for 13 days.
The Charges
DA Stephen Wagstaffe filed 9 felony counts — including two kidnapping charges that were dismissed at the preliminary hearing for insufficient evidence. The remaining 7 counts include first-degree burglary, two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and four counts of false imprisonment.
Critical detail: Jacobs had a katana sword, not a firearm. The complaint alleges he "personally used a HANDGUN" on three counts while simultaneously stating he was "NOT personally armed." These are mutually exclusive. The actual firearms belonged to co-defendant Angelmike Va Regalado — a convicted felon who is now a fugitive with a $50,000 warrant.
The Prosecution's Witnesses
Every prosecution witness has a criminal record:
- Silvino Manzano Jr. — Star witness. 4 arrests (drugs, criminal contempt). Currently faces 13+ pending felony charges in the same county from the same DA's office — including 11 firearms counts, burglary, witness intimidation, and elder abuse. Testified under oath: "I did not have funds saved up and did not have a place to move." Crawled back into the property through a window after being told to leave.
- Patrick Calleja — 10 arrests. Charges include first-degree robbery with a deadly weapon and possession of burglary tools. Moved into the property in October 2025 — before it was even sold. Was doing laundry at 3 AM in a gutted house.
- Floyd Cooper — Arrested for first-degree burglary (the exact same charge the defendant faces) plus stolen vehicle and vehicle theft.
- George Georgiou — 4 arrests including DUI with drugs on consecutive days. Described by Calleja as "sort of schizophrenic."
- Shawna McAlister — Arrested for drug use and willful cruelty toward children.
The Investigating Officer
Corporal Anthony McKenna, the lead investigator, is a named defendant in a federal civil rights lawsuit — Vasquez v. Town of Colma (Case 3:21-cv-08255, N.D. Cal.) — filed while he was at his previous department. The lawsuit was still pending as of November 2025, just weeks before he investigated this case. McKenna's own sworn testimony at the preliminary hearing reveals he deliberately concealed his investigation from the defendant: "To keep the integrity of the investigation, I didn't want to allow him to know that I viewed the videos."
The DA's Pattern
DA Stephen Wagstaffe has held office since 2010 and has run unopposed in all four elections. His documented pattern includes:
- 9th Circuit racial bias finding — Ali v. Hickman: federal appellate court found Wagstaffe personally guilty of racial discrimination in jury selection
- Batmobile case — Filed identical felony charges for a civil property dispute, then dismissed them, saying disputes "belong in civil court"
- Okobi taser death — Coroner ruled homicide after deputies tased an unarmed man 7 times for jaywalking. DA refused to charge. County paid $4.5M settlement.
- Lopez prosecutorial misconduct — Judge dismissed charges after finding DA's office mischaracterized evidence to a grand jury
- Zero prosecution rate — 0 of 19 fatal use-of-force cases prosecuted involving 52 officers
- Pre-trial guilt declaration — Told media: "He's going to be held accountable" and "This case can be an example"
- False public statements — Claimed the occupant's mother was deceased (she is alive in Daly City) and that the occupant lived there 45 years (he testified to 10 under oath)
The Co-Defendant Disparity
Co-defendant Arthur Gutierrez Jr. — who had an actual firearm held at low ready — was offered 1 year plus military diversion. Jacobs — who had a sword — was offered 7 years with no diversion. Same charges, same incident. The defendant without the gun gets 7x the sentence of the defendant with the gun.
The Property
260 Allen Drive was not a "family home" as the DA characterized it to the media. It was a gutted construction site with a $990,000 mortgage at 6.72% that had never been paid down. The family burned an estimated $337,000-$382,000 in interest and failed construction over four years. The mother tried to sell for over a year before finding a buyer. When the property finally sold, the son — who had no funds and nowhere to go — refused to leave, crawled back in through a window, and brought in four friends with a combined record of armed robbery, burglary, drugs, and child cruelty.
Why This Case Matters
This is the first prosecution of a squatter removal operator in California history. It comes at a time when 23+ states have passed legislation authorizing property owners to remove squatters — and California's own SB 448 (which would have created a legal removal process) failed in February 2026, just 17 days before the defendant's arraignment.
The DA is criminalizing what he himself called a civil matter in the Batmobile case. The lead investigator has a pending federal lawsuit. Every prosecution witness has a criminal record. The star witness faces more charges than the defendant. And the actual armed felon is a fugitive who has never been brought to justice.
Trial is set for May 8, 2026.