A former building superintendent in Manhattan has been charged with stealing more than $350starlight princess slot,000 from a 100-year-old tenant who lives in the co-op where she worked.
According to a court document from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Rosalind Hernandez, 56, wrote large checks from the account of the tenant to two people he did not know, and used his cards to make purchases including lingerie, clothing and a subscription to an entrepreneurship training program for herself and her niece. Ms. Hernandez, who also lived in the building in Chelsea, had become the tenant’s confidante and had his power of attorney.
She pleaded not guilty to two counts of grand larceny on Thursday in New York Supreme Court. Ms. Hernandez appeared anguished and solemn as she sat with her lawyer, Vik Pawar. She was released under supervision. The next court date is Jan. 16.
In a statement, Mr. Pawar said, “Our client is presumed innocent and we intend to fight these charges vigorously.”
The building’s co-op board fired Ms. Hernandez about a year ago. “I feel like I am in ‘The Twilight Zone,’” she said in an earlier interview with The New York Times.
Though the district attorney’s office did not identify the tenant by name, The Times featured Ms. Hernandez and the tenant, Antonio Ruas, in an article in August 2023, as part of a series on building superintendents. At the time, Mr. Ruas, a retired stone setter, was in the hospital recovering from a broken pelvis after falling while crossing the street. The paramedics called Ms. Hernandez for help because her phone number was written on a piece of paper in his wallet, and she came running.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.starlight princess slot