A former Bank of America employee in southwest Miami-Dade was arrested after being accused of stealing $500,000 from a disabled victim, authorities said.

Mario Martinez, 40, is facing several charges, including exploitation of the elderly, organized fraud and first-degree grand theft.

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies began investigating the case on Jan. 16 after they received a call from the Bank of America branch in southwest Miami-Dade, where a supervisor reported a scheme involving one of his employees.

An arrest affidavit said the employee was taking money from a client at the bank, and that he had a joint account with the victim without her knowing, and he would move money from her bank into his without authorization.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle spoke about Martinez’s case during a press conference on Tuesday.

Rundle explained that the victim, a 42-year-old woman, cannot walk and uses a motorized wheelchair.

She said the victim had known Martinez since 2016, and he had helped her open at least one bank account.

At one point, the victim received an inheritance and wasn’t sure how to handle her finances, and Martinez told her he could help her, Rundle said.

“The victim recalls entering the bank and expressing to the subject that she recently inherited a large sum of money,” Rundle said. “The subject explained that he was a financial advisor and he could take her on as a client to invest and manage her money.”

Investigators said Martinez wasn’t a financial advisor.

In December of 2024, Bank of America conducted an internal investigation and told the victim that Martinez was funneling her money.

After finding out what was happening, Bank of America and the victim reported the scheme to MDSO.

“The investigation ultimately discovered that Martinez utilized the victim’s trust and his bank position to allegedly steal over half a million dollars, $500,000 from her,” Rundle said.

Investigators said Martinez knew how to get around bank alerts and internal systems in order to stay under the radar.

After the bank reported his actions, Martinez was arrested.