A New York woman was indicted after allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from an elderly man who granted her power of attorney, according to a news release Thursday from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Building superintendent Rosalind Hernandez, 56, reportedly stole the money from a 100-year-old tenant living alone in her building, an apartment in Manhattan, New York.
Prior to her alleged crimes, Hernandez had befriended the elderly resident.
As his health declined, Hernandez persuaded him into granting her power of attorney under the pretext of helping him with his affairs.
The elderly man agreed.
In summer 2023, the man was seriously injured after falling and was not expected to recover. Hernandez then accompanied the man on a visit to his family.
The man tasked Hernandez with selling his apartment and handling his affairs in exchange for $100,000.
When she returned to New York, she had full access to the man’s checkbook, credit cards and bank accounts.
From July 2023, to June 2 she allegedly wrote checks to two people the victim didn’t know, totaling more than $450,000.
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Hernandez also made numerous personal transactions using the man’s credit cards, which totaled to more than $6,000, according to the release.
These purchases included lingerie and clothing, a haircut and a subscription to an entrepreneurship training program for her and her niece.
She even funded her Lyft account, spending more than $900 on trips.
The victim discovered Hernandez’s theft once he recovered and regained access to his accounts.
Just one year prior, Hernandez was lauded for being a blessing to all the elderly living in her apartment.
In August 2023, The New York Times wrote a lengthy piece dedicated to her.
The Times described Hernandez as a “lifeline” and the “unofficial companion and caregiver” to retirees, widows and widowers living in the building, adding that she was “especially close” with one 98-year-old tenant, Antonio Ruas, who had broken his hip during a fall.
“I’m practically alone until I die,” Ruas told The New York Times. “There’s nobody in the world who does what she does with a virtual stranger.”
“If it weren’t for her, I’d be in the gutter,” he said.
Hernandez responded during the interview.
“What about what you do for me, Antonio?” she said. “Antonio is like the grandfather I never had.”
Hernandez faces charges of Grand Larceny in the Second and Third Degree — a class C and D felony, respectively.
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