HIALEAH, Fla. — A 67-year-old Hialeah man was arrested Wednesday on accusations that he stole approximately $86,000 from his elderly parents’ retirement and life savings, according to an arrest warrant.
Jail records show Rafael Evelio Barcelo is facing felony charges stemming from two withdrawals from his parents’ Bank of America account in January and February 2025.
Hialeah police said the victims, a 90-year-old man and his 86-year-old wife, immigrated to Florida from Cuba in the 1970s and have lived in their Hialeah home since 1972.
They said Barcelo, the couple’s son, lived a few blocks away and had taken responsibility for helping manage their finances, including writing checks for household expenses.
Investigators allege Barcelo used that position of trust to take money from the couple without their knowledge or consent.
The warrant states that on Jan. 17, 2025, a $34,000 check was drawn from the couple’s checking account and made payable to “Shophar LLC.”
The check was marked “gift” in the memo line and bore Barcelo’s signature, according to the warrant. Police said the check was deposited into a business account belonging solely to Barcelo’s son.
When investigators showed the check to the couple, both denied writing or authorizing it, according to the warrant. The couple also said they did not know Shophar LLC and had never authorized the transaction.
A second withdrawal occurred Feb. 14, 2025, when a $52,000 Bank of America cashier’s check was issued from the couple’s account, the warrant states. Surveillance video from a Bank of America branch in Hialeah allegedly showed Barcelo conducting the transaction at the teller window, according to police.
Bank records obtained by investigators showed that Barcelo opened a Wells Fargo account on the same day and deposited the $52,000 cashier’s check into that newly opened account using a mobile app, The warrant states. The money remained in the account, investigators said.
The two transactions totaled $86,000.
The investigation began amid a family dispute over the care of the elderly couple, according to the warrant.
Police said the couple’s daughter and son-in-law had become increasingly involved in their parents’ care after the husband suffered a serious fall at home in December 2024.
They said the daughter had previously been designated as the couple’s attorney-in-fact for medical decisions, and the warrant states that the couple later executed financial powers of attorney naming her as their representative.
The warrant describes escalating tensions between the siblings over the couple’s care and finances.
In December 2024, Barcelo contacted Leon Medical Center about placing his father in a rehabilitation facility and indicated he wanted to keep his mother at his own residence, according to the warrant. Police said he also allegedly told the family that he planned to transfer the couple’s assets into a trust to pay for their care and apply for Medicaid.
The couple objected after learning of those plans, the warrant states.
In January, Barcelo hired a caregiver to assist his parents. The caregiver told investigators that Barcelo was responsible for part of the couple’s daily care and that she witnessed arguments between him and his sister and brother-in-law over the couple’s care, according to the warrant.
At a family meeting on Jan. 17, the dispute became confrontational.
The warrant states that Barcelo called his brother-in-law a “control freak” and told his sister and brother-in-law to stay away because he was taking control of his parents’ medical and financial decisions.
The relationship deteriorated further the following month.
On Feb. 17, Barcelo and his sons met with the couple and other family members. According to the warrant, one of Barcelo’s sons accused the daughter and son-in-law of stealing $50,000 from the elderly couple. Barcelo then said he would no longer be involved in caring for his parents.
Two days later, the couple went with their daughter and son-in-law to Bank of America to check their accounts.
That was when they learned that $86,000 had been withdrawn, according to the warrant.
Investigators said they reviewed bank records that showed the couple’s account was funded primarily by retirement and Social Security deposits. Investigators found no evidence that Barcelo had deposited his own money into the account, the warrant states.
The warrant also cites medical records and interviews with the couple’s doctors as evidence that the 90-year-old victim had significant “cognitive impairment” around the time of the disputed transactions.
A primary care physician told investigators that the man’s condition had deteriorated significantly by January 2025 and that he was unable to make medical decisions independently, according to the warrant.
A neurology provider said the man had experienced progressive cognitive decline and was unable to make medical or financial decisions, the warrant states.
Police said the investigation concluded that Barcelo “used his position of trust as the victims’ son and caregiver to exploit them,” according to the warrant.
Investigators allege the withdrawals deprived the couple of money needed for expenses including utilities, property taxes, groceries and other obligations.
Records show Barcelo is facing charges including exploitation of an elderly or disabled person involving more than $50,000, grand theft from a person over 65 involving more than $50,000, and organized scheme to defraud involving $50,000 or more.
As of Thursday morning, he was being held on a $22,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
