A doorman from the Upper West Side has been charged with stealing nearly $480,000 from a retired teacher and her husband, exploiting the couple’s vulnerability in their final years, Manhattan prosecutors said.
The accused, Alfredo Mateo, 38, allegedly carried out the scheme after the elderly woman was moved to a nursing home and her husband remained in their 380 Riverside Drive apartment. After the husband’s death in September 2022, the theft escalated.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Mateo began depositing checks from the teacher’s account the day after her husband died, writing 26 checks to himself. In total, prosecutors claim Mateo embezzled $477,685, including $3,000 taken directly from the husband’s account. Over several months, Mateo allegedly drained the couple’s savings and retirement funds, using his position of trust to access their personal information.
Mateo is also accused of targeting the teacher’s pension and annuity after discovering retirement forms in her apartment. From May to October 2023, he submitted five fraudulent forms to the Teachers’ Retirement System, aiming to divert the woman’s pension into his own accounts. Two of these forms were allegedly submitted after her death in July 2023, as part of an effort to secure payouts from her annuity and switch her direct deposit to his account.
Mateo allegedly went so far as to call the retirement system twice to change the phone number on her membership. When his first attempt failed, prosecutors claim Mateo altered his voice to impersonate the 91-year-old woman in an attempt to push the transaction through.
In total, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office reported that Mateo stole nearly $480,000 from the couple. “Those who take advantage of the access entrusted in them to target older community members and steal from hardworking New Yorkers will be held accountable,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
Mateo is now facing multiple felony charges, including grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and identity theft. Attempts to reach Mateo for comment have been unsuccessful, and his attorney, James Magee, has not yet responded to requests for a statement.
