Suspended referee reinstated

In October 2014, MLS referee Jose Carlos Rivero was suspended by PRO (Professional Referee Organization), due to claiming more than $14,000 in unemployment benefits despite refereeing games as well as committing third degree insurance fraud. A PRO representative at the time of arrest said "The Professional Referees Organization is fully aware of the alleged charges against Jose Carlos Rivero. Mr. Rivero has been suspended with immediate effect and will not be assigned to any further matches pending the outcome of the legal proceedings." Rivero had previously refereed seventeen games as the field official that season, and had refereed 21 games between the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The highlight of his career was the Juventus v. New York Red Bulls game friendly in 2010.

Despite being arrested for collecting unemployment benefits, Rivero has recently been reinstated by PRO and will be in the 2015 pool for the MLS season. It is unknown how many matches Rivero will referee or if he will be paid for the matches as part of his punishment.