Members of Tren de Aragua were charged with creating the New England ATM jackpotting
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Two suspected members of the Venezuelan-linked Tren De Aragua (TdA) gang have been charged with orchestrating ATM jackpotting robberies and attempted robberies across New England, according to federal prosecutors.
Moises Alejandro Martinez Gutierrz and Lester Guerrero, both 29 years old, were charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement.
Officials said both men are in the US illegally.
The two are accused of robbing and attempting to hold up ATMs in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. They are said to have installed malware directly into the ATM software to force the machine to withdraw all its cash.
Moises Alejandro Martinez Gutierrz was charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery. (US Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts)
Prosecutors said there was an ongoing federal investigation into a nationwide conspiracy allegedly coordinated and carried out by TdA members to steal money from ATMs using malware, a scheme called ATM jackpotting.
Martinez Gutierrez and Guerrero were arrested on February 5 in Augusta, Maine, after an attempted ATM robbery, according to charging documents.
Martinez Gutierrez is suspected of being connected to at least one other ATM robbery spree across New England, including a robbery on Dec. 31 in Norwich, Connecticut; Jan. 20 in Braintree, Massachusetts; Jan. 30 in Rochester, New Hampshire; and trying to rob Jan. 14 in Coventry, Rhode Island, Jan. 19 in Stoneham, Massachusetts.
Lester Guerrero is seen pointing his cell phone at an ATM with Moises Alejandro Martinez Gutierrz in the passenger seat. (US Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts)
Guerrero is suspected of being linked to at least one jackpotting robbery, with Martinez Gutierrez, on Jan. 30 in Rochester, New Hampshire.
If convicted of conspiracy to rob a bank, the pair could face up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and up to $250,000 in fines.
TdA allegedly established sources of income through a series of criminal activities, including ATM fraud to steal millions of dollars from financial institutions, prosecutors said in court papers.
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The two men were arrested on February 5 in Augusta, Me., after an attempted ATM robbery. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
Jackpotting proceeds are often distributed among gang members and associates to hide their existence, according to court documents.
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Members are often told to split the jackpot proceeds with 50% being set aside and sent to gang leaders in Venezuela and 50% being distributed to the people doing the ground work.
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