BUFFALO, N.Y. — Two Venezuelan men, David Jose Gomez-Cegarra, 24, and Jesus Segundo Hernandez-Gil, 19, have been arrested and charged with bank theft and conspiracy to commit bank theft following their involvement in an ATM Jackpotting scheme. The men, linked to the Tren de Aragua Gang, a group designated as a Global Terrorist Organization by the White House, were apprehended after stealing more than $110,000 from an ATM in Kenmore, New York.
The men, along with other co-conspirators, used malware to gain control of an ATM, allowing them to withdraw significant sums of money. On October 5, 2024, investigators report that Gomez-Cegarra drove a car up to the ATM at Radius Federal Credit Union. A co-conspirator exited the vehicle, used a key to open the ATM, installed malware or replaced its hard drive, and initiated fraudulent withdrawals.
Surveillance footage shows the vehicle returning multiple times to the ATM, conducting illegal withdrawals over several hours, ultimately totaling $110,440. The U.S. Attorney’s Office of Western District of New York states that Gomez-Cegarra and Hernandez-Gil, along with others, are believed to have committed similar crimes in Framingham, Massachusetts, Dryden, New York, and Mount Vernon, Illinois, amounting to an additional $187,000 in stolen funds.
The men were arrested on November 11, 2024, by the Mahomet Police Department in Illinois for suspicious activity. Both suspects presented Venezuelan identification and were subsequently charged by the Mount Vernon Police Department for their roles in the ATM thefts.
Gomez-Cegarra and Hernandez-Gil now face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted of the charges against them.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has stressed the seriousness of these crimes, particularly given the suspects’ alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua Gang, which has a history of engaging in organized crime across multiple countries.
The investigation into the ATM Jackpotting scheme is ongoing, and authorities are working to track down other potential members of the group involved in similar fraudulent activities across the U.S.
