Former NBA journeyman Chris Gatling accused of squatting in Arizona home and then trying to rent it out

A former NBA All-Star is accused of squatting in a home in Arizona and then trying to make money from it. Chris Gatling played for eight NBA teams during his 11-year NBA career. Stability wasn’t a reality for him while in the NBA. Apparently that is still the case as the former professional  basketball player has been charged with various criminal offenses which include theft, forgery and identity theft.

According to a police report,  Gatling moved into a Paradise Valley home without the owner’s permission by breaking into a key box. He lived in the home from July 2010 to August 2011. The power was on and it was furnished but the owner of the home lives in California. Not content with just hanging out in someone’s property, Gatling then decided he wanted to rent out the home HE was squatting in. So naturally he put an ad on “Craig’s List.”

The ad said: “800-dollars — 4 bedroom Ex-NBA — Paradise Valley Home for rent with pool and utilities included.”

Court records indicate that Gatling took a down payment from one potential renter, but another renter got suspicious and found the real owners over the Internet, then contacted police.

Gatling even had the address listed on his driver’s license… I don’t get it. He wasn’t worried that the owners would one day show up? Maybe just to check on their property? The owners didn’t notice a spike on their utility bill? A year is a long time to live on someone’s property without them knowing, even if they are in another state.

But that isn’t the only shady behavior Gatling is accused of. An ex-girlfriend has said  he forged some of her personal checks and he’s accused of funneling money through College Bound All-Stars, a traveling youth basketball league that he managed and operated.

He’s a whole episode of one of those Discovery ID shows. Yikes.