Former Miami Dolphins star Reshad Jones was awarded almost $10 million after settling a lawsuit against Merrill Lynch.
Jones spent his entire career with the Dolphins, after being drafted by Miami 163rd overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. During his time in the league, Jones was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 2015 and 2017 and made $56 million during his playing career.
That said, it was revealed that Jones was the victim of fraud by his former financial adviser and former Merrill Lynch employee, Isaiah Williams. The news comes after it was revealed Tua Tagovailoa suffered an injury in the Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Williams allegedly stole $2.59 million from Jones while they were working together. It is claimed that Williams used his position to gain access to the star’s personal accounts to steal $1.56 million in 133 separate transactions, according to a June 25 arrest report.
Following that, another $1.03 million was stolen via a complicated scheme that involved numerous bank and transfers via a cell phone app between Williams and Octivia Monique Graham. Jones claims he had never met Graham, per ESPN.
The money taken from Jones’ accounts was then used for airline tickets, hotels, strip clubs, cars, jewelry and duty-free shopping in Mexico, court records allege, according to ESPN. Though the settlement occured in August, reporting was delayed until October.
Jones originally asked for $16 million in damages in an arbitration filing against Merrill Lynch, BrokerCheck reported. Williams was booked on four counts, including first-degree organized fraud and first-degree grand theft, which both carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
Williams is out on $1 million bond and awaiting trial, according to the sheriff’s office database.
Jones’ lawyers, Chase Carlson and Jeff Sonn, posted a statement shortly after regarding reports of the former Dolphins star seeking professional assistance in his case against Williams.
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“This is yet another troubling example of a professional athlete being exploited by a wealth management firm he trusted,” the statement from July 2025 began. “In this case, the wrongdoer was a Vice President at one of the world’s largest financial institutions—Bank of America’s investment management division, Merrill Lynch.
“We have filed a lawsuit to hold Merrill Lynch accountable and are working to recover all damages our client has suffered.”
Jones is just one of many athletes who have been the victim of fraud by a financial advisor. San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan was among those who had experienced a similar situation, being swindled out of millions of dollars in 2016.