Headline
Venezuelan Nationals Face Deportation After Multi State ATM Jackpotting Scheme
According to authorities, both suspects were in the United States unlawfully.
Two individuals face deportation for tricking ATMs into jackpotting cash across South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. Learn how the US Secret Service and SLED tracked the multi-state scheme that led to federal prison sentences and hundreds of thousands in restitution.
In a major blow to a multi-state criminal operation, two Venezuelan nationals are now facing deportation after being caught in a high-tech ATM jackpotting scheme that drained cash from banks across the Southeast.
According to a press release from the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Luz Granados, 34, and Johan Gonzalez-Jimenez, 40, both have both been convicted of conspiracy and computer-related crimes for their roles in the late-night raids.
****How the scheme worked****
While ATMs are typically built like vaults, this duo found a loophole by focusing on older machines in cities like Columbia and Rock Hill. Investigation conducted by the US Secret Service and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) revealed that the pair would physically open the outer casing of an ATM at night and connect a laptop to the machine’s internal system.
They then used the laptop to load malware, which allowed them to bypass the bank’s security protocols. Once the virus was active, it forced the machines to “disperse cash to the perpetrators until the ATM’s funds are exhausted,” DoJ revealed.
However, an important point to be noted is that personal bank accounts were never at risk because the money was “taken from the bank that owned the ATM,” not individual customers.
****Who were the targets****
This jackpotting spree didn’t stop in South Carolina; investigators found that the duo hit banks in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia as well. Interestingly, the evidence gathered in this case helped the District of Nebraska bring charges against 54 other people involved in a similar operation.
The legal consequences of these crimes finally arrived for Granados and Gonzalez-Jimenez, who are described as “illegal aliens” living in the US, when US District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced them.
Granados was given time served, but she is currently being held for deportation and must pay back $126,340. On the other hand, Gonzalez-Jimenez received 18 months in federal prison and a $285,100 bill for restitution.
He will be sent back to Venezuela the moment he steps out of prison. Assistant US Attorney Scott Matthews, who prosecuted the case, confirmed that the investigation into these types of high-tech bank robberies remains a top priority.
(Photo by Jake Allen on Unsplash)