Venezuelan Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for ATM Jackpotting

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Juan Manuel Gouveia-Aguilera, 27, originally of Venezuela, was sentenced on August 20, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for his role in a conspiracy to deploy malware and steal millions of dollars from ATMs in the United States, a crime commonly referred to as "ATM jackpotting." Chief United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Gouveia-Aguilera to 96 months' imprisonment, a 5-year term of supervised release, and $500 in special assessments. Gouveia-Aguilera was also ordered to pay restitution as part of his sentence.

The Court found Gouveia-Aguilera to be responsible for more than $3.5 million in losses and this sentence is believed to be the longest federal sentence imposed for an individual's role in ATM jackpotting. Specifically, Gouveia-Aguilera was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank burglary and fraud in connection with computers, bank fraud, bank burglary, and fraud in connection with computers following a guilty plea.

"The Court's sentence of Juan Manuel Gouveia-Aguilera reflects the severity of his criminal conduct," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "He participated in a scheme to hack ATMs across the United States, the result of which forced them to dispense substantial amounts of cash - known as jackpotting. These malware schemes help fund the operations of violent transnational criminal organizations, such as Tren de Aragua (TdA). We will continue to safeguard the security of our financial institutions and disrupt this network with our law enforcement partners and the District of Nebraska."

"Today's sentence is one of many yet to come in this case, and the United States Attorney's Office looks forward to the day when the leaders and architects of this nationwide conspiracy to victimize American banks to fill the coffers of a terrorist organization are held accountable in federal court," said U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods. "This appropriate and just sentence is only the beginning of the justice that will be doled out across the entire conspiracy before this case concludes."

"TdA poses a direct threat to our communities both here in the Midwest and across our country. This violent terrorist organization relies on a wide range of criminal activities to generate revenue supporting their campaigns of violence and terror," said FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel. "This case highlights TdA's plot to deploy sophisticated malware targeting financial institutions across the U.S., syphoning millions of dollars from American banks to fund acts of terrorism. As criminal enterprises change tactics, we surge resources and adapt accordingly to protect the American people."

"Gouveia-Aguilera and his alleged co-conspirators thought they could hack American ATMs, drain financial institutions, and funnel money to a violent transnational criminal organization without consequence. They were wrong," said HSI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini. "This 8-year sentence is a warning to every criminal network targeting our financial systems: HSI and our partners will hunt you down, dismantle your operations, and put you in federal prison."

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Nebraska in conjunction with the Department of Justice's Cyber Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Joint Task Force Vulcan is investigating and prosecuting a widespread ATM Jackpotting conspiracy that has been tied to designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA). To date, 119 defendants have been charged in the District of Nebraska for their role in this conspiracy. Gouveia-Aguilera is the third defendant to be sentenced in the District of Nebraska for crimes in connection with this conspiracy. Two prior defendants were sentenced by United States District Court Judge Susan M. Bazis in Lincoln, Nebraska, in June:

The investigation has established extensive direct and indirect links between the indicted co-conspirators and TdA. According to court documents, TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States. TdA's criminal activities range from drug trafficking and firearms trafficking to commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other violent acts to advance the organization's criminal activities. TdA has also developed an additional source of revenue stream through financial crimes that target financial institutions throughout the United States, including using ATM jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in cash. The investigation has revealed that the conspiracy has targeted or carried out ATM jackpotting attacks in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign nations.

FBI's Omaha Field Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Omaha are investigating the case, with assistance from FBI's Denver, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Oklahoma, Sacramento, Seattle, and Springfield Field Offices, and the United States Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of the Inspector General, Financial Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, and a significant number of local law enforcement entities across the country.

The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the District of Kansas, Western District of Washington, Eastern District of California, Southern District of New York, Northern District of Illinois, Central District of Illinois, Eastern District of Oklahoma, Northern District of Oklahoma, Southern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri, Middle District of Louisiana, Middle District of Georgia, Middle District of Wisconsin, and Eastern District of Wisconsin, as well as the Larimer County Attorney's Office, Colorado Attorney General's Office, Tennessee 9th District Attorney General's Office, Tennessee 5th District Attorney General's Office, and the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office have provided significant assistance.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Omaha comprises agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, USPIS, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division.

Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and has now expanded to target TdA. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney's Offices across the country, including Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; and the District of Nevada, as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice's National Security Division and Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, HSI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), USMS, and the Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.

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