BRONX, N.Y. — A Bronx co-op board president has been indicted on charges of grand larceny and other offenses for allegedly stealing over $120,000 from a 93-year-old tenant’s savings by forging and cashing checks from her account, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Wednesday.
Majia-Leena Frayer, 74, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was arraigned on January 17 on multiple charges, including second-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of stolen property. The indictment alleges that Frayer exploited the trust of an elderly tenant who did not speak English, forging 72 checks from her account while she was hospitalized and later in a nursing home.
According to the investigation, Frayer, then the president of the Varma Cooperative board on Gerard Avenue, used her position of trust to assist the victim with her financial affairs, including writing monthly maintenance checks for her co-op unit. When the victim was hospitalized in February 2021, Frayer allegedly began writing checks to cash from the victim’s account, withdrawing amounts ranging from $500 to $3,000 over seven months, totaling $120,263.
Authorities said the funds were deposited into the account of a co-conspirator, Rudolf Drauch, 61, who had been indicted in 2023. Drauch allegedly cashed the checks, keeping a portion of the funds. Frayer relocated to Florida following Drauch’s indictment but was later arrested and ordered to remain in New York City while awaiting her next court date on January 28.
“We must remain vigilant in protecting the elderly who so often become targets for financial fraud,” District Attorney Clark said in a statement.