Four Miamians, two men and two women, were arrested by Miami-Dade detectives Wednesday in connection with an elaborate and audacious scheme in which prosecutors said they pretended to sell homes in foreclosure or with unpaid property taxes.

"This was a fraud of absolute squandered trust," said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle at a news conference. "Today, we are announcing the arrest of four individuals who used sheer audacity to rip off unsuspecting investors to the tune of nearly $2.5 million over nearly two years."

READ: Suspect information

The four charged with racketeering, grand theft and forging documents were identified as Ayda Young, Yohany Garcia, Zoraida Abreu and Johnny Bou-Nassar, all of Miami-Dade. 

The state attorney said they told prospective buyers they had insiders within Miami-Dade County government who could take homes in foreclosure off the auction list and sell them for deeply discounted prices.  They also allegedly offered to provide tax certificates for homes in arrears on property taxes.  Miami-Dade Inspector General Chris Mazella said no county employee was involved in the scheme.

The four suspects were in custody late Wednesday, awaiting bond hearings.