Miami man arrested in nearly $1 million theft from tech company he worked for: Cops

A Miami man is facing charges after he allegedly stole nearly $1 million for a tech company he had worked for, police said.

Mark Alex Natera, 37, is facing charges including organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and unauthorized access to a computer system, Miami Police said Wednesday.

The arrest comes more than a year after an investigation was launched into an organized scheme to defraud REEF Technology LLC and its parent company, Vessel Operating HoldCo LLC, police said.

REEF Technology was a ghost kitchen startup that helps provide goods, services and experiences through what they call a proximity network.”

Investigators determined Natera, while working for REEF as a senior software engineer, used authorized access to company systems to alter bank information and redirect company payments to bank accounts and credit or debit cards he controlled, police said.

The thefts, which took place between Nov. 12, 2023 and Oct. 16, 2024, resulted in a total loss of around $914,000, police said.

Natera, who had been hired by REEF in April of 2021, had been placed in charge of integrating REEF’s products with Vessel’s Square Point of Sale program, a warrant said.

According to the warrant, one of Natera’s accounts received over $572,000 with purchases made at restaurants, lounges and a resort, along with numerous cash withdrawals.

Natera was booked into jail on Tuesday and on Wednesday, appeared before a judge who set his bond at $110,000.