Brooklyn Super Steals $18K In Deposits From Would-Be Tenants, Prosecutors Say

CYPRESS HILLS, BROOKLYN — A super who collected $18,500 in deposits for apartments that were not his to rent now faces criminal charges, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office announced Wednesday.

Ruben Almeidas, 58, the superintendent at 233 Jamaica Ave., collected down payments from eight would-be tenants who arrived at the building between April and October in 2016, prosecutors said.

Almeidas told his victims he worked for the building owners and that giving him a deposit and finder’s fee would secure them a home in the Jamaica Avenue apartment building, according to prosecutors.

Almeidas even issued receipts to his victims, whom he charged between $1,850 and $3,600 for apartments that were not his to rent, prosecutors said.

When the unsuspecting people tried to move into the apartments they believed to be their new homes, Almeida simply deterred them with excuses, according to prosecutors.

Almeidas, who was arrested in February, was arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court Wednesday where he was charged with eight counts of grand larceny and one count of scheming to defraud, court records show.

The super, who faces up to seven years in prison if convicted, was held on $5,000 bail and ordered to return to court on Aug. 9, prosecutors said.

Almeidas’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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