A 24-year-old housing specialist at a Manhattan homeless shelter has been indicted on felony charges after prosecutors say he told residents holding city-issued housing vouchers that they had to pay him directly to secure an apartment, then used one victim's stolen identity to open credit cards in her name. David Aguero, of the Bronx, allegedly pocketed thousands of dollars in cash and electronic transfers from vulnerable shelter residents between March 16 and June 11, 2026.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment Monday, saying Aguero allegedly stole more than $4,000 from New York City shelter residents, according to court documents and court statements cited by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. “Shelter residents trusted David Aguero to help them secure stable places to live,” Bragg said, adding that Aguero allegedly broke that trust and stole thousands of dollars from them. Bragg also said those who take advantage of New Yorkers desperate for homes will be held accountable.
Cash Demands and a Stolen Identity
According to the indictment, Aguero worked as a housing specialist inside a Manhattan homeless shelter, a role that put him in charge of guiding residents through the CityFHEPS voucher process. Prosecutors allege he told residents with city-issued vouchers that they needed to pay him directly to lock down an apartment — a demand that runs directly counter to official CityFHEPS rules, which explicitly bar housing specialists, brokers, or landlords from soliciting cash payments or side fees from voucher recipients, according to the NYC Human Resources Administration.
Beyond the alleged cash demands, prosecutors say Aguero obtained personally identifiable information from one victim and used it to open two credit cards in that victim's name, then spent heavily on both accounts. That conduct forms the basis of two identity theft counts in the indictment.
The Charges and Potential Prison Time
Aguero was charged with one count of grand larceny in the second degree, a class C felony; one count of grand larceny in the third degree and one count of bribe receiving in the third degree, both class D felonies; two counts of identity theft in the first degree, also class D felonies; one count of grand larceny in the fourth degree; and one count of scheme to defraud in the first degree, both class E felonies, per the indictment.
The grand larceny in the second degree count alone carries a maximum potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison under New York Penal Law, since Class C felonies represent one of the most serious non-violent theft classifications under state law. Each identity theft count and the bribe receiving count carry up to seven years, while the scheme to defraud and grand larceny in the fourth degree counts each carry up to four years as Class E felonies. Aguero is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, per the indictment's disclaimer.
A Recurring Pattern of Shelter Insider Abuse
The case echoes a broader pattern of municipal employees exploiting access to vulnerable, unhoused New Yorkers. In March 2024, Manhattan prosecutors brought similar charges against 18 people, including five Department of Homeless Services employees, for stealing shelter residents' personal identities in a $1.2 million fraud scheme, as reported by the Associated Press.
The New York City Department of Investigation, the city's independent watchdog agency tasked with probing municipal corruption and employee misconduct, assisted in the Aguero investigation alongside the NYPD. The DA's office said the investigation is ongoing.
Housing specialists like Aguero often hold outsized administrative power over shelter residents desperate to exit the system. A June 2025 City Council report highlighted by City Limits found that administrative errors and processing delays by housing specialists often stall CityFHEPS applications, prolonging how long families remain in shelters — the same processing backlogs that can heighten residents' vulnerability to extortion. Hoodline has previously reported on CityFHEPS paperwork chaos facing shelter residents across the city.
How to Report Additional Victims
Dennis Dillon of the Financial Frauds Bureau is prosecuting the case, with Assistant District Attorney Jack Ralph having assisted the investigation. The prosecution is being supervised by Judy Salwen as deputy chief of the investigation division, Jodie Kane as chief of the investigation division, Kofi Sansculotte as chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau, and Luis Morales as chief of the Immigrant Affairs Unit. Paralegal Selena Hernandez and investigative analyst Emely Salazar Perez also assisted with the investigation in the Financial Frauds Bureau.
The Manhattan DA's Financial Frauds and Immigrant Affairs units are asking anyone who believes they were victimized by Aguero to call the office's hotline at 212-335-3600, emphasizing that reports can be made regardless of immigration status. It remains unclear whether additional victims will come forward or whether the city will tighten oversight of housing specialists handling voucher paperwork.
