NEW YORK SUPREME COURT — A former home health aide stole more than a quarter of a million dollars from a 98-year-old Upper East Side woman to finance a luxurious lifestyle of high-end shopping sprees and vacations to Miami and the Dominican Republic, prosecutors charged Friday.
Stefany Hernandez, 25, was supposed caring for the the elderly victim, but instead forged her signature on 102 checks between February 2013 and March 2015 to pay for trips to Bloomingdale's and Barneys, according to an indictment.
“Like many scammers, this defendant allegedly targeted an elderly victim whom she knew to be vulnerable,” District Attorney Cyrus Vance said.
Hernandez, dressed in a dark blue pea coat, betrayed little emotion during the hearing in which prosecutor Laura Wexler read the charges against her. Her mother, who also worked for the victim, and three friends accompanied her to the hearing, but declined to comment afterward.
Hernandez, who lives in Harlem, spent the money as quickly as she could cash the checks, according to the prosecutor.
“The money was depleted almost immediately,” Wexler said.
More than $35,000 went to pay off personal credit card bills, about $18,000 on clothing and accessories from stores like Bloomingdale's and Barneys, and approximately $12,000 on airfare and hotels, including flights to Miami and the Dominican Republic.
All told, Hernandez also withdrew more than $100,000 in cash, according to the D.A.
After the victim’s husband passed away at the age of 100 in January 2015, the victim’s son and daughter-in-law discovered something was amiss while reviewing financial records and reported it, according to the DA.
At Friday's arraignment, Hernandez pleaded not guilty to grand larceny, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in state prison.
Bail was set at $75,000 although the prosecution originally asked for $150,000.
She's due back in court on March 28, 2016.
