Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution has announced the arrest of six individuals accused of stealing nearly $250,000 from Florida seniors through grandparent scams. The Miami-Dade Police Department’s Vice Intelligence Squad reported that the defendants posed as lawyers or legal representatives of the victims' grandchildren, claiming the grandchildren were arrested after hitting a pregnant woman with a vehicle and needed bail money.
“These fraudsters know that most grandparents would do anything to help a grandchild in need, and through a convincing imposter scheme they used fear and family to extort Florida seniors—stealing nearly a quarter of a million dollars," said Attorney General Ashley Moody. "Working with our great law enforcement partners in South Florida, we were able to shut down this far-reaching grandparent scheme and now six fraudsters will have to answer for their crimes.”
Miami-Dade Police Department Director Stephanie V. Daniels praised the collaboration between various agencies. “I am immensely proud of the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Vice Intelligence Squad, for their exceptional collaboration with the Florida Attorney General, and federal agencies in successfully apprehending individuals involved in extorting the elderly population. Their dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to protecting our community's most vulnerable population are truly commendable,” she said.
The investigation revealed that after contacting seniors with falsified stories about their grandchildren being jailed, the fraudsters pressured them into providing bail money. Victims were instructed to obtain cash and place it into a box for pickup by couriers—unknowing ride-share drivers booked by the criminals—who then transported the money back to the scammers.
In several cases, victims were contacted multiple times for additional payments. A Palm Bay victim initially paid $9,000 but was later told more money was needed due to complications arising from a miscarriage caused by the accident. The victim ultimately paid over $54,000. Similar incidents occurred in Melbourne and Sarasota where victims paid substantial amounts ranging from $13,700 to $53,000.
The scam affected seniors across multiple counties including Brevard, Broward, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach and Sarasota. Various law enforcement agencies collaborated on this investigation including Sunny Isles Beach Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Brevard Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Boca Raton Police Department among others.
The defendants Jairo Izquierdo, Gennesis Castro, Wendy Angelina Ortiz, Ada Tido, Wandy Castro and Olfa Cornielle face multiple first-degree felonies including organized scheme to defraud and grand theft. The case will be prosecuted by Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.