Foreign National Sentenced for Bank Fraud Conspiracy

BOSTON – A man from Brazil who had been living unlawfully in Columbus, Ohio was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and entering the United States after having been deported.

Reinaldo Oliveira, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to 15 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $66,985 in restitution. 

From 2011 to 2012, Oliveira and other conspirators deposited worthless checks into accounts at Massachusetts banks opened in fictitious names, and then withdrew funds before the banks realized the deposits were worthless.  Oliveira’s role in the scheme was to help open accounts, to participate in withdrawing funds, and to control one of the bank accounts.  Oliveira had been deported from the United States in 2001, and was participating in the scheme after reentering the country unlawfully.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.