Venezuelans plead guilty to hacking ATMs: "Jackpotting bandits are sweeping the nation"
They thought they’d hit the jackpot, but got a prison uniform instead.
Broken glass ATM on street. Vitaliy Andreev / Shutterstock
- Five Venezuelan nationals pleaded guilty to bank larceny after failed ATM malware attacks in Kansas.
- The group allegedly tried to make ATMs dispense cash remotely, but alarms and cameras helped police stop them.
- One defendant received nine months in prison, while the others still await sentencing.
- US authorities have charged 119 suspects in a wider investigation into ATM jackpotting schemes.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Following an FBI investigation, 5 Venezuelan nationals have pleaded guilty to attempting to steal money from ATMs in the United States.
Luis Alberto Velasquez-Artigas, Royder Adrian Figuera-Perez, Javier Mejia Jr., Gabriel Alexjandro Corales-Garcia, and Italo Lizandro Corrales-Carrillo have all pleaded guilty to committing bank larceny, also known as ATM jackpotting.
In December 2025, the defendants traveled from Indiana to Kansas to steal cash from ATMs in Wamego and Manhattan.
They planned to install malware on the ATMs and later remotely activate the compromised machines to dispense cash at their command and collect the loot.
However, the suspects were unsuccessful in installing the malware. Instead, their attempt to tinker with the ATM in Wamego triggered an alarm, causing law enforcement officers to respond. When the police arrived, the culprits were already gone.
The cash-grab attempt in Manhattan also went south. Lucky for the police, surveillance cameras recorded everything, and the perpetrators were arrested a few days later.
“Jackpotting bandits are sweeping the nation. This particular group’s strategy was to specifically target ATMs they thought were, by design, more vulnerable to malware,”US Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said in a statement.
Kriegshauser recommends that banks and other financial institutions invest in software updates to make ATMs less susceptible to malware such as ATMii, ATMitch, GreenDispenser, Alice, RIPPER, Skimer, SUCEFUL, and Plautus.
Velasquez-Artigas is sentenced to 9 months in prison. The other defendants are awaiting sentencing.
In August, 27-year-old Juan Manuel Gouveia-Aguilera was sentenced to 96 months in prison for ATM jackpotting, stealing approximately $3.5 million from ATMs across the US. The court also ruled that he was guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank burglary, and fraud in connection with computers.
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US authorities are currently investigating and prosecuting a widespread ATM jackpotting conspiracy that has been tied to violent transnational criminal organizations, including Tren de Aragua.
To date, 119 suspects have been charged in the District of Nebraska for their role in ATM jackpotting.
