Five Venezuelan nationals have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges after attempting to empty automated teller machines (ATMs) using malware in a series of jackpotting attacks in the United States.
The defendants, Luis Alberto Velasquez-Artigas, Royder Adrian Figuera-Perez, Javier Mejia Jr., Gabriel Alexjandro Corales-Garcia and Italo Lizandro Corrales-Carrillo, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank larceny.
Velasquez-Artigas, 27, has already been sentenced to nine months in prison, while the other four defendants are still awaiting sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said the group specifically targeted ATMs they believed were more vulnerable to malware. Authorities have urged banks and other financial institutions to invest in security updates and technology designed to prevent ATM jackpotting attacks.
ATM jackpotting involves installing malware on an ATM’s internal computer and then using connected devices, such as a USB keyboard or the ATM’s built-in PIN pad, to send commands to the cash dispenser. This can allow attackers to force the machine to release the cash stored inside.
The five defendants were arrested in December 2025 after allegedly attempting to install malware on ATMs in Wamego and Manhattan, Kansas. Surveillance cameras recorded the attempts. In Wamego, the malware installation attempt triggered an alarm, causing law enforcement to respond, while in Manhattan, the group also failed to make the ATM dispense money.
ATM jackpotting has become a growing concern for financial institutions. Criminal groups have previously used malware such as ATMii, ATMitch, GreenDispenser, Alice, RIPPER, Skimer, SUCEFUL and Ploutus to target ATMs and steal cash.
The FBI warned in February that criminals stole more than $20 million through a surge of ATM malware attacks during 2025. The warning followed a series of arrests involving alleged members of the Tren de Aragua Venezuelan criminal organization, which authorities linked to a large-scale ATM jackpotting operation using Ploutus malware across the United States.
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The Justice Department has charged 87 alleged Tren de Aragua members in connection with the broader activity, with potential maximum prison terms ranging from 20 to 335 years. In January, federal prosecutors in South Carolina also announced that two Venezuelan nationals convicted in ATM jackpotting attacks would be deported after completing their prison sentences.
