FLORIDA – Two individuals, including Isaiah T. Williams, the former financial advisor to retired Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones, have been arrested in connection with a $2.58 million fraud scheme, according to authorities.
Williams, 44, was arrested in Florida on June 25 on an out-of-county warrant. Police say he illegally transferred $1.58 million from Jones’ bank accounts through 133 wire transfers between January 2022 and March 2024, primarily to cover payments on two American Express credit cards.
According to Fort Lauderdale police, the stolen funds were spent on first-class flights, hotel stays with multiple women, luxury clothing, jewelry, car rentals, legal fees, and strip club visits. Authorities also noted purchases in Mexico’s duty-free shops.
Williams, who worked at Merrill Lynch in Boca Raton from 2017 to 2023, resigned in December. His FINRA profile shows he’s now barred from acting as a broker, having failed to cooperate with an investigation into prior alleged misconduct.
A second suspect, Octavia Monique Graham, 52, was arrested June 30 and charged with two counts of money laundering and first-degree grand theft. Authorities allege she and Williams conspired to steal an additional $1.03 million between 2019 and 2021.
Graham is accused of issuing 16 checks totaling $435,000 to Williams’ Chase account and making 88 Zelle transfers worth $184,000 from her Bank of America account. She pleaded not guilty and is being held on $750,000 bond.
Williams was released on July 2 on $1 million bond. Merrill Lynch issued a statement saying it had fully cooperated with regulators and worked with the client to rectify any losses:
“Putting clients first and protecting client assets have been guiding principles of Merrill since our founding more than 100 years ago.”
Jones, who was a two-time Pro Bowler for the Miami Dolphins (2010–2019), has stated his intent to press charges.
