Holly Hill Man Pleads Guilty to Four Volusia County Bank Robberies

ORLANDO—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces that Ralph Brooks Rivera (57, Holly Hill) has entered guilty pleas to four counts of bank robbery. Rivera faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 16, 2012 before Chief United States District Judge Anne C. Conway.

According to the plea agreement, from September 26 through December 27, 2011, Rivera robbed branches of Wells Fargo Bank, TD Bank, SunTrust Bank, and Space Coast Credit Union in Volusia County, Florida. 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 separate 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 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.

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