Two Ukrainian men, Roman Leskiv, 28, and Vitalii Moravel, 32, were arrested in North Miami Beach after being linked to a sophisticated “ATM jackpotting” scheme that siphoned large sums of money from multiple ATMs across Miami-Dade County. The duo faces charges of grand theft and organized fraud for their role in the illicit operation.
The suspects allegedly manipulated ATM systems, forcing the machines to dispense cash through a technique known as “jackpotting.” Law enforcement and cybersecurity experts revealed that Leskiv and Moravel accessed ATM hardware via card entry slots and conducted unauthorized transactions. The U.S. Secret Service’s Miami Field Office has been tracking these breaches, and local authorities have been investigating several such incidents.
On November 10, a convenience store on Northeast 19th Avenue reported a theft of $4,500, with surveillance footage showing Moravel at the scene. Just two days later, on November 12, a Valero gas station was hit with a loss of $5,200 from fraudulent transactions at their ATM, again with both suspects caught on camera performing the thefts.
Investigators uncovered a variety of electronic devices, blank cards, a card re-encoder, and large sums of cash during searches of the suspects’ apartments. In Moravel’s apartment alone, authorities seized $17,740 in cash and several Ukrainian passports not belonging to him or his family.
Both Leskiv and Moravel were arrested promptly, and their assets were seized as evidence. The swift actions by local law enforcement reflect the seriousness of high-tech crimes like ATM jackpotting. Neither suspect has made a public statement or appointed an attorney as of now.
