Rockland County is taking legal action against two men accused of illegally renting out a property after it had been foreclosed on by the county.

Rockland County owns a home on North Main Street in New Hempstead. It says the property became the county’s after the previous owners failed to pay more than $50,000 in taxes.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day says that they determined the location was empty in late October. So county officials say they were shocked to recently find about four families living inside.

They say the previous owners, Joseph Greenbaum and Elazer Dancziger, were illegally renting it out.

Officials say they were scamming the tenants and collecting more than $7,000 a month.

"Not only are they renting out illegally due to the fact that it's not theirs to rent, on top of it they're engaged in over-renting the dwelling units and creating danger for the families and also danger for firefighters," says Day.

The county has filed a lawsuit against the two men, and a criminal investigation is now underway on how they got access back inside.

News 12 questioned former property manager Dancziger outside his home in Spring Valley, but he denied the allegations.

He and Greenbaum now face criminal trespass charges, and potentially others.