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The Justice Department announced Monday that it has charged 31 additional people in a nationwide ATM hacking scheme known as “jackpotting” that allegedly stole millions of dollars from U.S. banks.
Federal officials said many of those charged are alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The new indictments bring the total number of defendants in the expanding case to 87.
Court documents filed in Nebraska allege the group used ATM malware called Ploutus to force machines to dispense large amounts of cash. Prosecutors say members of the conspiracy recruited individuals affiliated with Tren de Aragua to deploy the malware at ATMs across the country.
According to investigators, the suspects would first test whether tampering with an ATM would trigger a law enforcement response. If no response occurred, they allegedly inserted a thumb drive containing the malware, a technique commonly referred to as jackpotting.
The malware then sent unauthorized commands to the ATM’s operating system, causing the machine to release cash without a valid transaction.
“A large ring of criminal aliens allegedly engaged in a nationwide conspiracy to enrich themselves and the TdA terrorist organization by ripping off American citizens,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “After committing bank robbery, fraud, and other serious crimes, they will be vigorously prosecuted and held accountable.”
Blanche said the Justice Department’s Joint Task Force Vulcan is focused on dismantling Tren de Aragua and other foreign criminal organizations operating in the United States.
An earlier indictment on Oct. 21 charged 32 defendants with 56 counts, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank burglary, and computer fraud, as well as dozens of individual fraud and burglary charges.
Federal prosecutors said defendants in the case could face up to 335 years in prison if convicted.
The investigation is being led by the Homeland Security Task Force in coordination with state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide. Officials said the probe remains ongoing and additional charges are possible.
