A federal grand jury in Nebraska has charged 31 additional defendants for their alleged roles in a large-scale ATM jackpotting operation tied to the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua.
The latest indictment follows two earlier cases. In December, prosecutors charged 22 individuals with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and money laundering. An earlier indictment in October charged 32 defendants with bank fraud, bank burglary, and computer damage. With the new charges, the total number of defendants now reaches 87.
According to court documents, the group used Ploutus malware to steal millions of dollars from bank and credit union ATMs across the United States. Investigators say the suspects physically accessed ATM machines, opened their housings, and waited nearby to monitor alarm responses before deploying the malware.
Once inside the machines, the attackers allegedly installed Ploutus by swapping hard drives, inserting preloaded drives, or connecting USB devices. The malware allowed them to remotely command ATMs to dispense cash until empty and erase evidence of the intrusion.
Many of the defendants are Venezuelan and Colombian nationals linked to Tren de Aragua, which was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization in December by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Chris Eason, co-director of the Joint Task Force Vulcan, said the gang evolved from a prison-based group into a transnational criminal and terrorist organization. He warned that the use of advanced malware to attack US financial institutions would not be tolerated.
Prosecutors allege that the stolen money was divided among members based on prearranged agreements, with funds moved between individuals to launder the proceeds. If convicted, the defendants face potential prison sentences ranging from 20 to 335 years, depending on the charges.
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In a related development, federal prosecutors in South Carolina recently announced that two Venezuelan nationals convicted in a similar ATM jackpotting case will be deported after completing their prison sentences.
