A Miami resident has been sentenced to more than 19 years in federal prison for running a $40 million Ponzi scheme disguised as a merchant cash advance business. Pablo Silverio Rebollido, 48, received a sentence of 230 months and was ordered to pay over $16 million in restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud.
According to court documents, Rebollido owned and operated two companies based in Miami: E-Card Lending LLC and E-Card Merchant LLC. These companies claimed to provide merchant cash advances (MCAs), which are short-term loans typically used by small and medium-sized businesses. The businesses purportedly offered lump-sum cash advances at high interest rates in exchange for a share of future credit card sales or daily bank deposits.
From August 2019 through February 2024, Rebollido solicited funds from investors under the false promise that their money would be used to finance legitimate MCAs through his companies. He assured investors they would receive regular monthly returns based on company profits. However, authorities found that E-Card had no real clients and operated as a Ponzi scheme, using new investor funds to pay earlier investors while supporting Rebollido’s personal lifestyle. The scheme defrauded more than 70 individuals, resulting in losses exceeding $40 million.
Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga handed down the sentence on October 2.
“This defendant built his fortune on lies while leaving investors in ruin,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “We will continue to protect investors, safeguard our markets, and ensure that criminals who commit financial crimes face justice.”
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert F. Moore and Jon Juenger, with asset forfeiture handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff.
Additional information about this case can be found on the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl or through related court records available at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20127.
