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Three Apprehended for Swiping Identities of Champlain Towers Victims
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During July, a few weeks following the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida, a relative of one of the victims received a notification indicating that a fresh credit card had been authorized under her loved one’s name, to be dispatched to an unknown address. Subsequently, numerous unauthorized fund transfers from the victim’s account to unfamiliar accounts were noticed as well.
This pivotal revelation triggered the recent detention of three individuals residing in Florida, namely Betsy Alexandra Cacho Medina, Rodney Choute, and Kimberly Michelle Johnson. These three individuals had illicitly acquired the identities of a minimum of seven deceased victims of the condo collapse and exploited their details to procure credit cards, engage in wire transfers, and spend approximately $45,000 using their identities. One of them made a purchase of Nordstrom sandals for $374, while another acquired a Versace purse for $1,658.50.
Regional authorities managed to trace the culprits to an unoccupied apartment where they were utilizing as a “drop-off” location for online acquisitions, all due to the link of the address to a license plate that had been captured in footage from a shopping mall’s security system.
“These individuals seem to be highly adept identity swindlers. They are experts,” remarked Florida State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle during a media briefing. “Except for their names, almost everything about them appears to be fabricated.” Rundle further added that the trio had even gone to the extent of producing counterfeit social security cards.
A trio has been arrested and charged with stealing the identities of seven victims from the collapse of a condominium building in Surfside, Florida, and squandering an estimated $45,000 on unauthorized transactions, authorities state. https://t.co/PE3aSJoSF1
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 9, 2021
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava denounced the suspects for their lack of regard for the deceased individuals and commended the local law enforcement for locating them. “I am tremendously grateful that this remarkable team is ensuring justice for these individuals and aiding in the restoration of peace and solace to those who have already suffered greatly due to this tragic building collapse,” she expressed.
Bail for the offenses committed by the suspects has been established at $1 million for Medina, $500,000 for Johnson, and $430,000 for Choute.
