A mother and son from Suffolk County were arraigned on identity theft charges Tuesday.

Investigators say Tonia Cheeseman, 63, of Ridge, and her 41-year-old son, Michael Cheeseman, of Shirley, used the identities of individuals in Suffolk County and Florida -- both living and dead -- to make various purchases amounting to at least $20,000. Police say Tonia Cheeseman swiped personal information from at least 63 people from files at a doctor's office she used to work at. They say she and her son used the identities to apply for credit cards at stores, including Lowe?s and Wal-Mart.

According to Deputy Inspector Gerard McCarthy, the pair would charge a small amount of money on a credit card before moving on to other cards. Police say the scheme began to unravel when some of the victims noticed the charges on their credit card bills and reported them.

The two pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors say Tonia Cheeseman was convicted of forgery in 1990. The case is still under investigation. It's not known how many cases the mother and son could be linked to.