By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A property manager admitted to stealing $879,000 in rent money paid by Columbia University students and other tenants in Morningside Heights buildings he oversaw, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Luis Nunez, 42, was responsible for collecting rent and running daily upkeep on five buildings in the area.
Prosecutors said Nunez "systematically manipulated and falsified" records so he could divert funds from three landlords, the rightful recipients of the money, and pocket the funds for his own use between June 2005 and April 2009.
With the stolen funds, Nunez bought furniture, jewelry and appliances and also paid for maintenance on two vehicles, the DA said.
"The defendant took advantage of tenants — many of whom were Columbia University students — in order to enhance his own lifestyle," Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr. said.
Nunez pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny and scheme to defraud in the first degree. He faces up to 15 years in prison at his sentencing.
