Building Superintendent Gets Prison Term For Thefts

NEW YORK (AP) -- A New York City building superintendent who exploited residents' trust to steal thousands of dollars' worth of art and jewelry will spend three to nine years in prison.

Mihaly "Mike" Kovacsezics didn't speak at his sentencing Tuesday. He sat impassively as victim Roxane West pleaded with him to reveal what happened to hundreds of paintings by her aunt, Shirley Almeda West.

She was an Abstract Expressionist originally from Texas.

Kovacsezics pleaded guilty in February to taking those artworks after West's 2010 death. He also admitted stealing more than $23,000 in jewelry from another building resident and about $60,000 in gems from a friend.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. calls Kovacsezics a "con man."

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