Elderly Tenant, 98, Says He was Scammed $350K by Manhattan Super

A 98-year-old Manhattan tenant told a court he felt “betrayed” after a building superintendent he trusted stole more than $350,000 from him. She was sentenced to up to three years in prison on April 15.

Antonio Ruas, a retired diamond cutter, spoke through an interpreter during the hearing and said, “I will not accept this situation. I was very honest with this person, and she destroyed everything.” He added, “I really don’t feel happy because she betrayed me. She destroyed all my years of hard work.”

The defendant, Rosalind Hernandez, 57, was found guilty of grand larceny by a Manhattan jury in January. On Wednesday, a judge ordered her to serve one to three years in prison and to repay the money she had stolen. She must also pay $265,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors had asked for a longer sentence of seven years, saying the crime was planned and targeted. “This is somebody who committed a calculated crime. She waited for years and waited until he was at a particularly low point, where he was not able to live by himself,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Raphaelle Monty said in a statement.

Authorities said Hernandez took control of Ruas’ finances from July 2023 to June 2024 after he suffered a near-fatal fall. At the time, he gave her power of attorney as his health declined. Prosecutors said she used that role to empty his savings while he was out of the country.

“She abused me because of my age,” Ruas said in court.

According to prosecutors, Hernandez convinced Ruas, who is originally from Brazil and does not speak English fluently, to return home while she handled his affairs. She promised him she would sell his Chelsea apartment and transfer the funds to him. But months passed, and he did not receive any money.

Instead, prosecutors said she spent the money on personal expenses, including beauty products, clothing and subscription services. She also changed her mailing address to an associate’s home in the Bronx.

When Ruas recovered and returned to New York, he found his apartment partly emptied and his mail missing. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the crime “despicable.” He said, “She gained his trust just to break it.”

The judge in the case called Hernandez’s actions “heinous” and “egregious.”