A fourth person has been identified and arrested for his participation in a scam to steal the identities of victims of the Miami Beach condo collapse.
Police say 20-year-old Nelson Ronaldo Garcia-Medina used the name of a person killed in the tragedy to buy a $130 pair of Jordans.
Garcia-Medina is the brother of Betsy Alejandra Cacho-Medina, 30, who was busted yesterday for her role in the scheme. Kimberly Michelle Johnson, 34, and Rodney Choute, 38, were also taken into custody.
Arrest records show Garcia-Medina was also arrested Wednesday; however, his name was not included when Florida State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle held a news conference Wednesday afternoon announcing the initial arrests. Fernandez Rundle did say it was an ongoing investigation and hinted at the possibility of additional co-conspirators.
According to the arrest report, a search warrant was executed Wednesday at Garcia-Medina’s home and detectives found a notebook “that contained written instructions on how to obtain free credit reports in [victims’] names as well as instructions on how to conduct sim swaps over the phone.” The group of scammers used sim swaps to contact a victim’s phone carrier and use their personal information “to illegally swap the victim’s phone number to a new phone without the victim’s knowledge or consent.” While searching the home, detectives also found receipts and items that revealed that Garcia-Medina used the fraudulent credit cards to make purchases, including $130 Jordans.
Garcia-Medina was taken into custody and is currently being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Along with the other three arrested, he faces 15-30 years if convicted of the various charges.
The scammers stole the identities of at least seven victims of the condo collapse, five of whom are deceased. According to Florida State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, there could be additional victims.
