Sex Offender Works as Upper West Side Super

MYFOXNY.COM - A registered sex offender whose rap sheet includes attacking young girls on Long Island has been working as a super at some buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the New York Post first reported.

Some tenants there have complained that William Barnason, 57, has tried pressuring them for sex when they have fallen behind with rent payments.

Carol Engle, a tenant, is on a rent strike at one of Barnason's buildings because she says she is being overcharged. She told Fox 5 News that she is tired of the harassment.

"He said 'Maybe I can help you out if we were friends,'" Engle said. "What do you mean if we're friends? He said 'You know what I mean,' 'You mean if I agree to have sex with you?' He said" 'Well not just once.'"

Fox 5's Tai Hernandez tried to speak with Barnason Monday, but he refused to answer questions and went back into his apartment.

Barnason served 14 years in prison for sexual assaults in the 1980s, the Post reported.

He was convicted in 1986 of charges related to vile sex crimes against three girls in Suffolk County, according to the New York State sex offender registry , which lists him as a risk level 3 offender.

He was released in 2001 and soon after got the job as the building super.

The registry lists Barnason's home address as the basement apartment in 144 West 73rd Street, where he also works.

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