Six people are facing charges in connection with a massive scheme to steal over $5.8 million from multiple condominium associations in Miami-Dade, authorities said.

The arrests are the result of a two-year investigation into the theft of funds from five separate condo associations, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said at a news conference Thursday.

Cordero-Stutz said the “brazen criminal enterprise” was run by the alleged mastermind, 60-year-old Juan Awais, who used his property management companies to pull off the scheme.

Awais would win over the condo board members, most of whom were elderly and spoke only Spanish, gaining their trust, investigators said.

Awais and the other suspects then used a network of companies to take money from the associations in multiple ways, including sending invoices to vendors for services that were already paid for or sending invoices for work that was never done, Cordero-Stutz said.

In one incident, one of the suspects pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars from an insurance payment meant to repair a building after Hurricane Irma, the sheriff said.

The suspects targeted the Mira Villa Condo Association, Los Suenos Condo, Samari Lake East Condo Association, Lago Grande, and Country Lake Manors, authorities said.

Awais and the other suspects – Michael Irizarry, Delma Alonso, Johana Barrios Perez-Tapia, Juliet Ramos, and Cynthea Louise Waltz – face charges including grand theft, organized fraud, money laundering and racketeering, records showed.

Cordero-Stutz said so far authorities have confirmed $5.8 million was stolen but said that number could go significantly higher.

“This affected hundreds of families across Miami-Dade County,” the sheriff said. “Our hope is that there will be more arrests, the investigation continues. Like I said, $5.8 million is the dollar amount we have today, but we suspect that it is higher.”

Cordero-Stutz said the investigation isn’t over.

“Let me speak directly to everyone who lives in a condominium or an HOA community in Miami-Dade County. Your monthly association fees and special assessments are your hard-earned money.  You have every right to know where that money is going,” she said.