Crime & Safety
Tren De Aragua Nationwide ATM Jackpotting Scheme Spilled Into Coventry: Feds
The Venezuelan gangsters were arrested in Maine and charged with targeting ATMs throughout New England, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The tentacles of a nationwide Tren De Aragua ATM jackpotting scheme stretched into Coventry, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Moises Alejandro Martinez Gutierrez and Lestter Guerrero, both 29, were arrested in Augusta, Maine, earlier this month following an attempted ATM jackpotting robbery, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a media release.
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Jackpotting involves installing malware directly to an ATM’s software programming to force the machine to dispense all its
cash.
"Members of the ATM jackpotting crew typically serve specific roles in the operation," an FBI agent said in an affidavit.
Find out what's happening in Coventryfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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"Some provide surveillance of the ATM location," the agent said. "Others use a physical key that is specific to the ATM model to access the ATM’s control system. Members of the scheme then use a pre-programmed device to install malware into the ATM itself, enabling them to override the maximum withdrawal limit at the ATM, often leaving it empty. After emptying the ATM, the criminal group removes the device and departs the location."
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In addition to the attempted misappropriation in Maine, Martinez Gutierrez was linked to at least five additional ATM attacks across New England, including the Coventry caper, according to the release, and Guerrero was connected to a single incident with Martinez Gutierrez in New Hampshire.
After their arrest in Maine, Augusta police confirmed through a National Crime Information Center records request that Martinez Gutierrez and Guerrero are "Venezuelan nationals who do not have status in the United States," the FBI agent said.
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Tren De Aragua "has used ATM jackpotting in the United States to steal millions of dollars from financial institutions," according to the agent, who said the Venezuelan gang's "criminal activities include human smuggling, extortion, drug trafficking, kidnapping, and robbery."
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