6 people arrested in Florida for stealing nearly $250,000 in 'grandparent scams'

Six suspected fraudsters have been arrested in Florida for stealing nearly $250,000 from the state's seniors through “grandparent scams,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Monday.

The suspects contacted elderly people claiming to be one of their grandchildren's lawyers and told the victims the grandchild needed bail after being arrested for hitting a pregnant woman with a vehicle, a Moody said. The suspects then arranged for the victim to send them money.

The six suspects – Jairo Izquierdo, Gennesis Castro, Wendy Angelina Ortiz, Ada Tido, Wandy Castro and Olfa Cornielle – are charged with several first-degree crimes, including organized fraud scheme, grand theft and criminal use of identity personal.

“These fraudsters know that most grandparents would do anything to help a grandchild in need, and through a convincing imposter scheme, they have used fear and family to extort seniors from Florida, stealing almost a quarter of a million dollars,” Moody said in a press release. “Working with our excellent law enforcement partners in South Florida, we were able to put a stop to this massive grandparent scheme and now six fraudsters will face accountability for their crimes.”

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After telling victims the fabricated story about the grandchildren, the alleged fraudsters would pressure the elderly to provide bail.

The suspects asked the victims to present the bail amount in cash and place it in a box that would be picked up by couriers – unknowing rideshare drivers requested by the suspects – who then transported the money to an agreed upon location , according to investigators.

“I am immensely proud of the Miami-Dade Police Department's Vice Intelligence Squad for its exceptional collaboration with the Florida Attorney General and federal agencies in the successful arrest of individuals involved in extortion from the elderly population,” said Stephanie V, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department. Daniels said in the release. “Their dedication, expertise and unwavering commitment to protecting our community’s most vulnerable population is truly commendable.”

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In some cases, suspects contacted the same victim multiple times to demand more money.

In one case, one of the seniors paid $9,000 only to later learn that the pregnant woman had suffered a miscarriage and that an additional $18,000 was needed because of the increased fees.

The suspects then told the same victim that the baby's father attacked the victim's grandson for causing the miscarriage and that the grandchild elbowed a police officer during the attack, which which required an additional $20,000 in bail, as well as $7,500 in court costs. The alleged fraudsters received more than $54,000.

A similar situation happened to another elderly person, who paid $53,000 to the fraudsters.

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In another case, a victim paid $8,000 and the suspects contacted again the next day asking for an additional $4,000 for the grandson's bail after claiming the pregnant woman had lost her baby. The next day, the suspects claimed the grandson owed medical bills because of the incident and demanded an additional $1,700.

Another victim posted $30,000 bail, then sent another $7,000 after the scammers claimed the pregnant woman was dead, causing the bail to increase.

The suspects targeted elderly people in several counties, including Brevard, Broward, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach and Sarasota.