Venezuelan Gets Record Federal Prison Term for ATM Jackpotting

Summary

Juan Manuel Gouveia-Aguilera, a Venezuelan national, has received an 8-year federal prison sentence for his involvement in an ATM jackpotting scheme that caused over $3.5 million in losses. This sentence is reportedly the longest federal term for an individual in such a crime. The scheme involved physically accessing ATMs to install malware that instructed them to dispense all cash, and the suspects are believed to be linked to the Tren de Aragua organization.

Full text

A Venezuelan national has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for his role in an ATM jackpotting scheme that caused millions of dollars in losses, the US Justice Department announced on Friday. According to the DOJ, 27-year-old Juan Manuel Gouveia-Aguilera has been sentenced to 96 months in prison, 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution after pleading guilty to bank fraud, bank burglary, and cyber-enabled fraud charges. “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,” the DOJ said. Gouveia-Aguilera’s sentencing comes just weeks after two other Venezuelan nationals, Oddry Arnoldo Cabrera Torrealba and Carlos Javier Padron, each received 78-month prison sentences for their role in ATM jackpotting. They are just a few of the 119 individuals charged in Nebraska for ATM jackpotting. The suspects are believed to work on behalf of the Venezuelan terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA). The ATM jackpotting attacks typically involve removing the targeted ATM’s outer casing and connecting a laptop to install malware. The malware then enables the attackers to instruct the ATM to dispense all its cash.Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. Earlier this year, the FBI warned of an increase in malware-enabled ATM jackpotting attacks in the United States. The agency said roughly 1,900 ATM jackpotting attacks had been reported since 2020, with incidents recorded last year resulting in losses that exceeded $20 million. Related: Surveillance – Everything You Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask Related: Snowflake Hacker Pleads Guilty in US Court Related: Belarusian Ransom Cartel Mastermind Gets 16 Years in Prison Written By Eduard Kovacs Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is senior managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher before starting a career in journalism in 2011. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering. Daily Briefing Newsletter Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing for the latest cybersecurity threats, trends, and expert insights. 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