Dubuque, Iowa (KCRG) — Three men, including Christian Canas-Gomez, are facing multiple charges after allegedly stealing $33,600 by breaking into an ATM in Dubuque.
Canas-Gomez, along with Ysmael Martinez-Jimenez and Jhonger Suarez, has been charged with Theft, Criminal Mischief, and Ongoing Criminal Conduct, according to court records.
Police responded to Fidelity Bank & Trust on Cedar Cross Road on the morning of May 27 after receiving a report of ATM tampering. Investigators say the machine had been compromised using a method known as jackpotting, where suspects exploit hardware or software vulnerabilities to force ATMs to dispense cash.
Surveillance video showed Martinez-Jimenez and Canas-Gomez manipulating the ATM, while Suarez acted as a lookout, prepared to honk the horn of a Ford F150 if law enforcement approached.
Authorities also linked the suspects to failed ATM theft attempts in Calmar and Janesville the previous day. Additional footage showed Canas-Gomez driving past an ATM in New Hampton on May 26 in a Mercedes.
On May 28, Cedar Rapids Police located the suspects and their vehicles at a local motel. Inside, they found electronic equipment, a USB thumb drive reportedly removed from the Dubuque ATM, and a mask resembling one worn by Martinez-Jimenez during the heist.
Although the group attempted another ATM theft in Anamosa the day after the Dubuque incident, the machine had already been disabled.
All three men were initially held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and have since been transferred to the Dubuque County Jail. They are expected to return to ICE custody once their legal cases conclude.
