MIAMI (WSVN) – A man is behind bars after, prosecutors said, he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his elderly parents\u2019 life savings.<\/p>\n
Sixty-seven year-old Rafael Evelio Barcelo is facing first-degree felony charges, including exploitation or an elderly\/disabled person over $50,000, grand theft from a person over 65, and organized scheme to defraud, according to authorities.<\/p>\n
Investigators said Barcelo took responsibility for handling his parents\u2019 finances, including their retirement money.<\/p>\n
Authorities said that after Barcelo\u2019s father suffered a fall in December 2024, his mental and physical state began to decline. At this time, prosecutors said, Barcelo began withdrawing $86,000 from the family\u2019s account.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle held a news conference with Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to discuss the case on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cRafael Barcelo allegedly used his position of trust as the victims\u2019 son and partial caregiver to exploit them by enriching himself and another family member, specifically his son, by withdrawing that $86,000, everything that couple had, everything his parents had from the bank account,\u201d said Fernandez Rundle. \u201cWhen the parents found out that their son had done this terrible, offensive betrayal, they cried.\u201d<\/p>\n
Investigators said Barcelo took the savings over a span of a few months. <\/p>\n
They also said Barcelo\u2019s parents discovered the money had been withdrawn during a trip to the bank with their daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty-four thousand [dollars] in January the same year, by a check. And it said on it, \u2018A gift.\u2019, and the gift went to Barcelo\u2019s son. Additionally, $52,000 had been withdrawn by Barcelo in Febuary, the next month, in a cashier\u2019s check,\u201d said Fernandez Rundle, \u201cThe withdrawals of these funds deprived the elderly victims, his parents, the funds that they needed for essential expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
When his parents checked their savings depleted, they ended up withdrawing the remaining amount of approximately $7,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery distraught, the victims immediately withdrew the only thing they had left, $7,000, from the [savings] account. [He] left them $70 in their checking account,\u201d said Fernandez Rundle.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said the case highlights a much larger problem. Florida ranks second in the nation in the number of fraud victims 60 and older, with officials saying that the group is being targeted because of their savings and vulnerability.<\/p>\n
\u201cScammers are becoming more sophisticated, using technology, emotion manipulation and identity profiling,\u201d said Fernandez Rundle.<\/p>\n
The Miami-Dade State Attorney\u2019s Office advised families to look out for warning signs on potential fraud.<\/p>\n
Barcelo\u2019s arrest is one of many arrests by the Elder and Vulnerable Adult Exploitation Unit. Eleven people in Miami-Dade County have been arrested and charged in the past four years, officials said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese are our parents, our grandparents, our friends, our neighbors, and they deserve to age with dignity, to feel safe,\u201d said Levine Cava.<\/p>\n
Barcelo\u2019s father is said to have passed away months after discovering his son\u2019s alleged financial misconduct and betrayal.<\/p>\n
Barcelo\u2019s bond has not yet been set. 7News spoke with Barcelo\u2019s son, who declined to comment on the allegations against his father.<\/p>\n
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