A Miami man who worked at a Kendall Bank of America branch has been accused of stealing over $500,000 from a woman with disabilities who had received a large inheritance, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Tuesday.
The 47-year-old woman, who was not identified, suffers from a chronic condition that leaves her unable to walk and requires her to have full-time care, according to an affidavit, which detailed the alleged fraud.
She had been banking with Bank of America for about 20 years and frequented the location at 8840 SW 136th St. Mario Martinez, 40, was employed there and had known the woman since at least 2016.
The woman told Martinez on one occasion that she inherited a large sum of money and was having trouble managing her finances. He explained he was a financial advisor and could help her invest and manage her funds, according to the affidavit.
“But he lied,” Rundle said during a Tuesday press conference at the State Attorney’s Office “That was not the truth.”
Martinez devised a scheme to funnel her inheritance into his own account from April 2024 to December 2024, including creating a joint account in both their names without permission, Rundle said. The woman also lent Martinez $120,000 in early 2023 after he said he was in trouble because of a large debt.
She first learned of the unauthorized and undisclosed transactions after receiving a phone call in December 2024 from a Bank of America investigator.
“Whenever we learn of potential wrongdoing, we promptly investigate, fully cooperate with regulators and law enforcement, and work with the client to compensate them for any harm caused by an employee,” Bank of America spokesperson Bill Halldin said.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office began investigating Martinez on Jan. 16, 2025. That same day, Martinez left a gift basket on her doorstep in an effort to persuade the woman not to report his actions to police, Rundle said.
Martinez was arrested Tuesday and is being held without bond at the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center until his first appearance before a judge, according to jail records.
He is charged with a handful of felonies and is facing up to life if found guilty of tampering or harassing a witness, victim or informant, according to the affidavit. He is also accused of one count of exploitation of a disabled person in an amount over $50,000, one count of organized scheme to defraud $50,000 or more, one count of grand theft over $100,000 and one count of criminal use of personal identification information.
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Said Rundle: “To these criminals, the lives and safety of those incapacitated means little, but getting their cash means everything.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM.
