A 101-year-old tenant who was conned out of $350,000 by his Manhattan super said he felt “betrayed” by the person he once trusted — as the convicted con artist learned her fate at sentencing Wednesday.
Victim Antonio Ruas bashed Rosalind Hernandez, to whom he gave power of attorney when his health started to decline, as a judge handed her up to 3 years in prison at a Manhattan court hearing.
“I will not accept this situation. I was very honest with this person, and she destroyed everything,” Ruas said through an interpreter in a victim impact statement.
Antonio Ruas, 101, (pictured) was conned out of $350,000 by his Manhattan super, Rosalind Hernandez. Steven Hirsch for NY Post “I really don’t feel happy because she betrayed me. She destroyed all my years of hard work,” the centurion added.
Hernandez — who was convicted by a Manhattan Supreme Court jury on grand larceny charges in January — was given the 1-to-3 years in prison over the objections of prosecutors, who asked for seven years.
She was also ordered to pay back the money she snatched when she believed Ruas was on his deathbed after he suffered a near-fatal fall in 2023.
“She abused me because of my age,” Ruas said at Hernandez’s sentencing.
Manhattan prosecutors have said Hernandez took advantage of Ruas, a retired diamond cutter originally from Brazil, by knowing English wasn’t his first language – when she convinced him to return to his native home and be close to his family while she took care of his finances.
Hernandez, who devised the scheme between July 2023 to June 2024, had promised to sell off Ruas’ Chelsea apartment and transfer all of his money to a bank account in Brazil — but months had passed and he still hadn’t seen a cent, he testified at trial.
Hernandez faces up to a 3-year prison sentence and was also ordered to pay back the money she stole from Ruas. Steven Hirsch for the NY Post But the greedy super, who couldn’t even muster an apology at her sentencing, then burned through his credit and debit cards by buying herself thousands of dollars worth of beauty product, clothes and self improvement subscriptions, prosecutors have said.
Ruas — who recovered from his injuries — eventually returned to New York City only to find most of his furniture in his apartment gone, and that he was no longer receiving mail.
Prosecutors had said that Hernandez had changed the elderly man’s mailing address to an associates in the Bronx.
“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 bid to lock up Hernandez for seven years.
Hernandez — who was described as a “lifeline” for senior tenants at the Chelsea Hall co-op in a 2023 New York Times profile — was ripped by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who called her conduct “despicable.”
“Rosalind Hernandez took advantage of an older adult in her care, gaining his trust just to break it by stealing over half of his life savings, along with his personal belongings,” Bragg said in a statement.
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Daniel Conviser called Hernandez’s actions “heinous” and “egregious” — while ordering her to also pay $265,000 in restitution.
