Three people were arrested Wednesday after authorities said they stole the identities of Miami Beach condo collapse victims so they could go on a shopping spree at luxury stores in South Florida.
Betsy Alejandra Cacho-Medina, 30, Rodney Choute, 38, and Kimberly Michelle Johnson, 34, were taken into custody on various charges, including fraud and counterfeiting, according to Local 10.
The thieves wasted little time to devise their scheme, as authorities reported the first indication they got about the crimes was about two weeks after the condo collapse.
Investigators say the trio stole the identities of seven victims, five of which died in the tragic condo collapse on June 24. The suspects obtained the names and dates of births of victims to secure fraudulent credit or debit cards. In obtained audio, one of the suspects, Medina, can be heard speaking on the phone with a credit card company trying to receive a replacement card. She claimed to be a Ms. Ortiz who survived the condo collapse. Surveillance footage then showed Medina at Bloomingdales in South Florida’s Aventura Mall purchasing about $2,500 worth of items using such credit card. Other high-end shopping was also done in Miami’s swanky Design District.
During a Wednesday news conference detailing the arrests, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle shared the suspects could face 15-30 years in prison if convicted. She also believes there could be other co-conspirators and the investigation remains ongoing.
Bond was set at $1 million for Medina, $500 for Johnson and $430K for Choute.
