Former Building Superintendent Charged With Stealing From Older Tenant

A former building superintendent in Manhattan has been charged with stealing more than $350,000 from a 100-year-old tenant who lives in the co-op where she worked.

According to a complaint from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Rosalind Hernandez, 56, wrote large checks from the account of the tenant, Antonio Ruas, 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.

The Times featured Ms. Hernandez and Mr. 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.