Holly Hill Man Charged with Four Volusia County Bank Robberies

ORLANDO—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces the arrest of Ralph Brooks Rivera (57, Holly Hill) on a criminal complaint, charging him with four counts of bank robbery. If convicted, Rivera faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count.

According to the criminal complaint, from September 26 to December 27, 2011, Rivera robbed four separate Volusia County banks, including Wells Fargo Bank, TD Bank, SunTrust Bank, and Space Coast Credit Union. In each of the robberies, Rivera implied that he had a firearm and demanded money. Fearing for their safety, bank employees complied with his demands. In total, Rivera obtained approximately $9,468 from the four federally insured financial institutions.

After bank employees identified Rivera from photographic lineups, he was arrested by local investigators. When subsequently interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Rivera admitted that he had committed the four Volusia County robberies and another in Savannah, Georgia. He also acknowledged that he had threatened the lives of the tellers by telling them that he would kill them unless they complied with his demands. Rivera further admitted that he previously had been convicted of multiple bank robberies and had spent time in federal prison for threatening to blow up a hotel in Austin, Texas.

A criminal complaint is merely an arrest warrant alleging that defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the Port Orange, Daytona Beach, and Ormond Beach Police Departments. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.