87 indicted in TdA, Colombian, Venezuelan ATM jackpotting scheme in Nebraska

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

So far, 87 people have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Nebraska for their roles in a jackpotting scheme using malware at ATMs to steal millions of dollars from banks nationwide.

A new indictment was returned alleging 32 counts including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, bank fraud, bank burglary, and damage to computers.

This is after the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska has already charged 56 people in the scheme, primarily Venezuelan and Colombian nationals, including members of Tren de Aragua, who are all in the country illegally.

ATM jackpotting refers to the crime of forcing ATMs to dispense cash without debiting a user’s bank account by either using malware or tools to physically open the machine.

“Tren de Aragua uses ATM jackpotting crimes committed all across America to fund its terrorist organization which is responsible for horrific crimes such as human trafficking (to include sex trafficking of children in Nebraska), kidnapping, murder and other unspeakably evil and violent acts,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska Lesley Woods said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska will fight TdA directly by taking every action at our disposal to shut down their financial pipeline and handicap their ability to terrorize American communities.”

Trump designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization for the first time in U.S. history nearly one year ago and directed the Department of Justice and other federal agencies to eradicate its members from the U.S. Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in targeting TdA members, including through the DOJ’s Joint Task Force Vulcan and Homeland Security Investigations.

Investigators allege that TdA members are deploying malware, known as Ploutus, to hack into ATMs nationwide to force them to dispense cash. TdA members “travel in groups, using multiple vehicles, to the locations of targeted banks and credit unions,” according to the charges. They first engage in an initial reconnaissance, identifying ATM external security features. Next, they come back to open the ATM’s hood or door and wait nearby to see if it triggers an alarm or law enforcement, investigators found.

They then install malware on the ATMs by either removing the hard drive and replacing it with another that was pre-loaded with the malware or connect it to an external device like a thumb drive to deploy the malware, according to the charges.

The malware issues “unauthorized commands associated with the Cash Dispensing Module of the ATM in order to force withdrawals of currency,” the charges explain. It’s also “designed to delete evidence of malware in an effort to conceal, create a false impression, mislead, or otherwise deceive employees of the banks and credit unions from learning about the deployment of the malware on the ATM.”

TdA, which means, “Train from Aragua,” referring to the Venezuelan state of Aragua, initially operated out of Tocorón Prison in Aragua. Its operatives have spread worldwide including into the United States under the Biden administration.

According to court documents, TdA members are involved in drug and firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud and extortion. They commit murder, assault and other violent crimes to further their criminal activity, the Department of Justice says. They are also targeting financial institutions nationwide, including using jackpotting, to steal millions of dollars in cash, the DOJ says.

“Tren de Aragua is a complex terrorist organization that commits serious financial crimes in addition to horrific rapes, murders, and drug trafficking,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “This Department of Justice has already prosecuted more than 290 members of Tren de Aragua and will continue working tirelessly to put these vicious terrorists behind bars after the prior administration let them infiltrate our country.”

In ten months and five states, more than 70 TdA members were indicted on a range of charges, including terrorism: Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York and Texas, The Center Square reported.

Recent similar indictments were returned last December charging 22 people with jackpotting and bank fraud crimes as well as 13 charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. The indictment alleges that TdA members are committing jackpotting to steal millions of dollars of cash from banks in the U.S. to further TdA crimes.

Last October, a related indictment was returned on 32 individuals alleging 56 counts related to bank fraud, bank burglary, computer fraud and damage to computers.

If convicted, the defendants face between 20 and 335 years in federal prison.