There were seven victims in this case, five of whom have died, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said at a news conference.
All seven had their identities stolen and made purchases after the sinking of Champlain Towers South on June 24th.
“Cyber burglar thieves moved very quickly after the collapse to grab what they could from the dead victims while family and friends were in absolute emotional turmoil,” Fernandez Rundle said.
According to sworn statements from the arrest warrant, the three people arrested were Betsy Alejandra Cacho Medina, 30, of North Miami; Rodney Choute, 38, of North Miami; and Kimberly Michelle Johnson, 34, of Miami.
CNN has tried to reach out to Cacho Medina, Choute and Johnson for comment. As of Wednesday evening, it was unclear if they had legal representation.
The first report of identity theft came on July 9 from a sister of one of the victims who died, Fernandez Rundle said.
The woman realized that her sister’s mailing address had been changed and replaced credit cards they were mailed to a new address, Fernandez Rundle said. The sister also reported purchases and bank transfers.
In Cacho Medina’s sworn statement of arrest, detectives write that on July 6 a woman called Barclays and identified herself as the dead woman and asked for a replacement card to be sent to a new address. Investigators obtained a recording of a woman trying to delete a transaction on the card and told the Barclays security department that she was a victim of the condominium collapse, according to the affidavit.
The document says that between July 7 and 9, there were 28 attempts at transactions ($ 13,389.80) on the card, of which 10 were approved ($ 5,892.93).
A Nordstrom Visa card was used on July 8 to order a pair of $ 374 sandals, according to the affidavit. The surveillance video shows the woman who took off her shoes getting into a car registered in Cacho Medina, according to the document.
Detectives went to the new credit card billing address and found the apartment was empty and the mailbox looked damaged and not closed. They also determined that there was a car registered in Cacho Medina at that address.
Postal inspectors told investigators that a replacement Discover card was sent on behalf of another dead victim to the same address. This card was used between July 7 and 24 for about 50 transactions totaling more than $ 30,000, according to the affidavit.
One purchase was at a Burberry store in an Adventure mall. Using surveillance footage from that day, police tracked down two women from the store to a white BMW they say is registered in Cacho Medina and Johnson.
Police also alleged that the three suspects used Zelle’s accounts for the transfer of money from the victims’ accounts and that some purchases and some attempts to withdraw ATMs were videotaped.
Fernandez Rundle said the suspects allegedly stole at least $ 45,000 and tried to steal $ 67,000 before being arrested.
The suspects face several criminal charges each, including identity theft and organized schemes to defraud, he said. According to the charges, he said they could face between 15 and 30 years in prison, if convicted.
The bond has been set at $ 1 million for Cacho Media, whom sworn statements described as the “main suspect,” while Johnson’s bond was set at $ 500,000 and Choute’s at $ 430,000.
The investigation is ongoing, the prosecutor said.
Family members of other Surfside victims who suspect they are also victims of identity theft were encouraged to contact law enforcement.
CNN’s Danielle Hackett contributed to this report.