In a turn of events that underscores the vulnerability of the elderly, the Bronx District Attorney's Office announced that a former co-op board president has been held accountable for her theft from a nonagenarian neighbor. Majia-Leena Frayer, a 74-year-old resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the fourth degree after siphoning off more than $120,000 from a 93-year-old woman who trusted her with her checkbook.
According to a press release from the Bronx District Attorney's Office, the victim, who had difficulty with English, relied on Frayer to assist her with writing maintenance checks during her hospitalization in early 2021. Over the next seven months, however, Frayer took advantage of the situation, writing checks for her own benefit. The elder woman, sadly, passed away in November 2023, with her nephew discovering the fraud thereafter.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark expressed disgust at the betrayal, "This defendant took advantage of a 93-year-old woman in the hospital, who struggled to read and write in English. The victim asked the defendant, who was the president of her co-op board, to write the checks for maintenance payments while she was sick. Consumed with greed, the defendant stole this vulnerable woman’s life savings," the Bronx District Attorney's Office noted.
The justice system administered its recompense on May 21, when Frayer was sentenced to three years conditional discharge by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Timothy Lewis. Significant in the adjudication was Frayer's restitution of the full amount stolen—$120,263. The case, overseen by a team led by Financial Frauds Bureau Chief Herman Wun, was a collaboration between the Bronx DA's office, NYPD detectives, and financial fraud experts.
