Ponce Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Bank Fraud

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 13 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico posted the following news release:

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Ponce Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Bank Fraud

On February 12, 2026, United States District Court Judge Maria Antongiorgi Jordan sentenced Melvin E. Rivera-Oliveras to 57 months in prison and five years of supervised release, and restitution for his role in a bank fraud scheme involving fraudulent point of sales (POS) transactions. Rivera-Oliveras utilized a company called Rossy Sport Bar Panoramico, LLC to further the bank fraud scheme. Rossy Sport Bar Panoramico, LLC pleaded guilty and was sentenced on January 15, 2026.

According to court documents, from 2020 to 2025, Melvin E. Rivera-Oliveras executed a scheme and artifice to defraud multiple federally insured financial institutions in Puerto Rico. Rivera-Oliveras attempted to conduct numerous fraudulent refund transactions for more than $7 million using multiple debit cards at various companies that he managed and operated.

After acquiring point of sale (POS) systems, Rivera-Oliveras conducted fraudulent refund transactions and was able to gain temporary access to the funds and to spend a portion of the funds that did not belong to him. In total, Rivera-Oliveras successfully submitted over 20 fraudulent refund transactions and illegally obtained over $680,000 as a result of the fraud scheme. Rivera-Oliveras was previously convicted and served jail time for felony violations involving forgery, larceny, and misappropriation of funds.

U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Claudia Dubravetz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was in charge of the investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Christine Amy from the Financial Fraud & Public Corruption Section prosecuted the case.

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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-pr/pr/ponce-man-sentenced-57-months-prison-bank-fraud