An Upper West Side doorman is accused of stealing nearly $480,000 from a retired teacher and her husband after the woman moved into a nursing home and later died, Manhattan prosecutors said. , in which he disguised his voice as hers as part of an elaborate plan.
Alfred Mateo, 38, still lived in the apartment at 380 Riverside Drive until his spouse's death in September 2022, while the woman was under court-ordered guardianship due to incapacity. He is said to have started preying on women.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office alleges that Mateo, of Yonkers, began depositing the first of 26 checks he received from teachers the day after her death, and sent most of the checks to himself from the victims' bank accounts. It is said that he started at square one.
She also allegedly stole $3,000 from her husband's account.
While draining the couple's safe, the suspect allegedly plotted to swindle money from teachers' pensions and pensions earned through working as city educators.
According to prosecutors, Mateo's personal information was included in a teacher's resignation letter mailed to his apartment, and he sent false resignation letters to the retirement system between May 5, 2023 and October 12, 2023. He said he submitted a copy.
Two of the documents were filed after the teacher died in July 2023, leading to pension payments and asking for her direct deposit to be transferred to Mateo's bank account, according to the district attorney's office.
He is also suspected of stealing several pension checks sent to teachers after her death.
Prosecutors said Mateo called the Teachers' Retirement System twice to change his phone number, and after failing once, tried to change his voice to sound more like the 91-year-old woman.
All told, Mateo stole a whopping $477,685, prosecutors said.
“Those who used the access they were given to target seniors in our community and steal from hardworking New Yorkers will be held accountable,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
Mateo is charged with seven felonies, including second-degree grand larceny, second-degree possession of stolen property, first-degree identity theft, second-degree possession of a forged instrument and related charges, according to the district attorney's office. .
Attempts to reach Mateo Wednesday night were unsuccessful. His lawyer, James McGee, did not respond to a request for comment.
