They were the zeroes among the heroes at ground zero – more than a dozen men and women accused of doing the unconscionable: tomb raiding.

They allegedly looted stores, helped themselves to relief supplies, picked up whatever they saw of value on the dusty ground and pillaged rescue equipment from the trucks of dead firefighters.

In the weeks since the Sept. 11 terror attack, more than 130 men and women have been arrested for sneaking into the disaster site – a place many call sacred – and committing crimes there.

The vast majority are charged with minor infractions, mostly trespassing on the 16-acre restricted site to gawk, take pictures and lend a hand to the rescue effort despite repeated orders to leave for their own safety.

But it is the dozen or so “zeroes” who entered the site with intent to steal and capitalize on the tragedy who have most angered those connected with the recovery and salvage effort.

Most of the looting happened within days or even hours of the tragedy – when the blood of the slain was still fresh, and the trapped and injured were still calling for help.

“How do they live with themselves?” asked firefighter Billy Hennessy, who caught one looter stealing equipment from an abandoned truck whose five firefighters would never return.

“How do they go to bed and sleep at night?” he asked.

Case files obtained by The Post detail the acts of these suspected grave robbers, men and women who face no more penalty than any run-of-the-mill thief or burglar, and many of whom are currently free on bail. Here are a few:

* Anthony McNally, 41, of Long Island City, Queens. Earlier this month, McNally was released from jail after pleading guilty to loading up his van with thousands of dollars in FDNY equipment and clothing only eight hours after the collapse.

“I’m safeguarding this,” he lied to a firefighter who confronted him.

* Johnny Dunham, 26, of Morris Heights, The Bronx. The unemployed security guard admits possessing seven diamond and platinum watches, one of them alone worth $15,000, from the looted Tourneau watch store at 5 World Trade Center.

He insists he was at ground zero Sept. 12 “to try and help.” Cops say he helped only himself.

* Mark Konsistorum, 42, of Long Island City, Queens, and Martin Ross, 30, of Glen Head, L.I. These two were allegedly caught pocketing watches – with price tags still dangling – at the same Tourneau store the next day.

Cops say Konsistorum, who flashed his expired correction-officer shield and insisted “I’m on the job,” took a $975 Hunter Swiss Army watch. They say Martin, who insisted “I’m down here looking for people,” took a $2,595 titanium Seiko watch.

* Patrick O’Malley, 23, of Bath Beach, Brooklyn. Cops stopped O’Malley on Sept. 23 at a checkpoint on Liberty Street when he couldn’t produce an FDNY ID card. That’s because O’Malley has never been a fireman – although he was wearing an FDNY helmet, turnout coat, shirt, uniform pants, boots and duty belt, and carrying FDNY dress shirts and a dress blue uniform in a garment bag.

Cops say he admits swiping the stuff from a firehouse, at the base of the World Trade Center, that lost five men and was shattered by debris.

O’Malley told cops he worked at the site from Sept. 11-15, helping dig and ferry supplies “to try to bring some order to this situation.

“I got a little carried away with the whole thing,” he admitted.

* Aaron Minter, 29, of the Upper East Side, and Oren Mehumar, 26, of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Cops say they found this pair at 2 in the morning on Sept. 12, prowling the Albee Square Jewelers at Broadway and Cortlandt Street with a pair of 3-foot bolt-cutters.

They were carrying several large Duane Reade bags stuffed with items from the drugstore, and an FDNY belt-rope harness, cops said.

Both had the words “Search and Rescue Crew” written in marker on their upper left arms, cops said. They claimed they took cameras, cell phones, even boxes of condoms from the damaged Duane Reade store at Broadway and Pine Street “for the cops and firemen.”