BROOKLYN, NY – Two Brooklyn men have been sentenced to prison for defrauding a 94-year-old woman out of approximately $227,000, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service. Humberto Nunez, 68, of Clinton Hill, and Mahilima Baa, 52, of Stuyvesant Heights, faced justice today in Brooklyn Supreme Court under Justice Adam D. Perlmutter.
The pair were convicted on March 20, 2024, of second-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of stolen property following a jury trial. Baa also received convictions for two counts of first-degree identity theft. Both defendants have been sentenced to an indeterminate term of one to three years in prison.
The thefts occurred between July 19, 2019, and January 7, 2020, starting with the unauthorized withdrawal of $52,000 from a former business account of 684 Quality Cleaners, previously owned by Nunez’s neighbor, Rose Kane, who has since passed away. Nunez, who had occasionally assisted Kane with errands, had been given power of attorney before she became incapacitated and was moved to a nursing home.
On November 5, 2019, the defendants further exploited Kane’s finances by taking $175,000 from a reverse mortgage line of credit she had maintained since 2009. Additional fraudulent activities by Baa included stealing $20,000 by opening two credit cards under Kane’s identity, adding himself as an authorized user, and making various personal purchases.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez commented on the case, underscoring the vulnerability of the elderly victim and the betrayal of trust involved. Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Freaney of the U.S. Secret Service also condemned the actions of the defendants, expressing gratitude for the collaborative efforts that led to their sentencing.
