CHELSEA — A former payroll manager of the sprawling Penn South co-op complex embezzled nearly $190,000, authorities said.
Eric Greenfield, who worked as Penn South's payroll manager and assistant to the chief financial officer from 2007 to 2011, was arrested on Feb. 13 and charged with grand larceny for improperly skimming a total of $187,428 from the complex's checking account, according to a criminal complaint.
Greenfield made "excessive payments" to himself from the co-op's coffers and told cops at the 10th Precinct that he stole the cash because he "had a financial hardship," the complaint said.
According to court records, Greenfield pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday and was released on a $150,000 bail bond.
Penn South, officially called the Mutual Redevelopment Houses, is a 10-building, 2,820-unit complex built in 1962 that provides low and middle-income housing in a neighborhood with ever-increasing real estate prices.
Many of the complex's longtime residents are elderly, and the co-op has a long waiting list of prospective new tenants, with many typically waiting months or even years for a coveted apartment.
Brendan Keany, the complex's manager, declined to comment on Greenfield's arrest.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Greenfield was responsible for managing the full payroll of 130 employees in a company that takes in annual revenues of more than $6 million. He left Penn South in December 2011 to become the payroll manager at Delcath Systems, Inc., a multinational pharmaceutical company, but stopped working there in January.
Greenfield and his lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, did not respond to requests for comment.
