'Cyber Grave Robbers' Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Identities of Surfside Condo Victims

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office charged three suspects who allegedly impersonated victims of the Surfside Condo collapse in an identity theft scheme in Florida, officials said.

The suspects’ thefts were worth at least $45,000, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said.

“Cyber grave robbers did move very quickly after the collapse to grab what they could from deceased victims, while family and friends were in absolute emotional turmoil,” Rundle said during a September 8 press conference.

Authorities charged Betsy Alexandra Cacho Medina, Rodney Choute, and Kimberly Michelle Johnson with identity theft and schemes to defraud. Officials said the suspects stole the identities of at least seven Surfside victims, five of them deceased.

This CCTV footage sent to Storyful by the State Attorney’s Office shows a woman, identified as Medina, purchasing goods at a Bloomingdale’s in Aventura Mall. Credit: Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office via Storyful