Ex-Merrill Lynch advisor arrested for allegedly stealing $2.6M from former Miami Dolphin Pro Bowler Reshad Jones.

Isaiah T. Williams, a former Merrill Lynch financial advisor, was arrested for allegedly stealing $2.6 million from former Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones. Williams used the stolen funds for personal expenses, including airline tickets, hotels, and child support payments. He was released with a $1 million bond. Williams resigned from Merrill Lynch in December and was barred from the securities industry in April.

A former Merrill Lynch financial advisor, Isaiah T. Williams, was arrested in Florida last month for his alleged involvement in the theft of nearly $2.6 million from former Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones. Williams, who worked at Merrill Lynch in Boca Raton from 2017 to the end of last year, was arrested June 25 on an out-of-county warrant [1].

According to police and court records, Williams used the stolen funds for numerous personal expenses, including airline tickets, hotels, and child support payments. He was released July 2 with a bond of $1 million, according to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office website. Williams resigned voluntarily last December after Merrill Lynch leveled allegations against him that his work conduct allegedly involved misappropriation, or theft, unsuitable asset allocation, misrepresentation, and an outside business activity [1].

Williams was Jones' financial advisor from January 2022 to March 2024 and allegedly stole $1.6 million from Jones' Bank of America account in more than 130 transactions. He was later barred from the securities industry in a settlement with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. [1].

Williams' co-conspirator, Octavia Monique Graham, was arrested and charged with one count of grand theft in the first degree and two counts of money laundering. She was released on a $75,000 bond [2].

Professional athletes, particularly football players, are often targets of scam artists due to their short careers, high potential annual salaries, lack of financial expertise, and the fact that their families often depend on them as breadwinners. Jones' attorneys, Chase Carlson and Jeff Sonn, have filed a lawsuit to hold Merrill Lynch accountable and are working to recover all damages suffered by their client [1].

Merrill Lynch has stated that they promptly investigate and cooperate with regulators and law enforcement, and work with the client to compensate them for any harm caused by an employee [1].