FBI investigation leads five Venezuelan nationals to plead guilty of attempting to jackpot Kansas ATMs

TOPEKA, KAN - After a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation, five Venezuelan nationals admitted guilt in attempting to steal U.S. currency from automated teller machines (ATMs).

U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser is encouraging banks and other financial institutions to take a proactive approach to guard against a criminal activity known as "jackpotting", which is becoming more prevalent. Jackpotting involves installing malware into an ATM to force it to dispense sizeable amounts of money.

According to an FBI report released in February 2026, crimes involving ATM jackpotting are increasing across the country. The FBI reports 1,900 incidents since 2020. In 2025 alone, there were over 700 incidents with more than $20 million in losses.

According to court documents, Luis Alberto Velasquez-Artigas, 27, Royder Adrian Figuera-Perez, 29, Javier Mejia, Jr, 27, Gabriel Alexjandro Corales-Garcia, 33, and Italo Lizandro Corrales-Carrillo, 26, all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank larceny.

In December 2025, the defendants traveled from Indiana to Kansas to attempt to steal cash from ATMs in Wamego and Manhattan through jackpotting. Their plan was for one conspirator to physically install the malware into the ATMs then later for the group to remotely activate a command causing the ATMs to dispense cash that they would go collect. The conspirators were unsuccessful in installing the malware on the ATM in Wamego, but their attempts at installing the malware triggered the alarm causing law enforcement to respond, and the culprits didn't return to the site. In Manhattan, the group was equally unsuccessful in getting the ATM to dispense money. Both attempted thefts were captured by surveillance cameras, and the perpetrators were arrested a few days later.

"Jackpotting bandits are sweeping the nation. This particular group's strategy was to specifically target ATMs they thought were by design more vulnerable to malware," said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. "Fortunately, there is technology to help thwart jackpotting. We at the U.S. Attorney's Office encourage banks and other financial institutions to invest in these updates, and we're happy to answer questions about how to do so."

"This case highlights a growing trend the FBI and our law enforcement partners are seeing nationwide involving a scheme known as 'jackpotting'. In these attacks, criminal actors exploit vulnerabilities in ATM technology to access and steal the cash contained inside the machines - often without legitimate transactions ever taking place, leaving financial institutions to determine how and where the funds were taken," said Chris Ormerod, FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge.

"The FBI will continue to identify and expose these schemes, work closely with our private-sector and law enforcement partners to strengthen defense, and pursue those responsible," said Ormerod. "Criminals should know that innovative methods of theft will not shield them from accountability. We will use every available investigative tool to disrupt these schemes, protect our communities, and hold those responsible accountable."

Velasquez-Artigas was sentenced to nine months in prison. The other defendants are awaiting sentencing.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag prosecuted the case.

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