‘Demon in human skin’ tenant uses every legal loophole to stay in $100-a-month Queens apartment: sources

A 74-year-old tenant in Queens is fighting to keep her two-bedroom apartment that she has not paid rent for in over a decade. Maria DeTommaso inherited the apartment through a death-bed adoption and has lived there since at least 2002. Neighbors have complained about her behavior, with one calling her “a demon” who has rented out rooms on Airbnb. DeTommaso convinced the previous tenant, Nicholas DeTommaso, to adopt her before he passed away, allowing her to gain succession rights to the rent-controlled apartment. Despite attempts by the building owners to evict her, DeTommaso continues to fight to stay in her home, claiming she has every right to be there.