Men who stole $400,000 in New York ATM scheme entered the U.S. illegally, officials say

Syracuse, New York – Six men accused of stealing more than $400,000 in an “ATM jackpotting” scheme from banks and credit unions in central New York and upstate New York State entered the United States illegally, immigration officials said.

Four are in the country illegally and two are here on parole after entering the country, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson. The men entered through Texas and Arizona.

Parole allows people who would not otherwise be allowed to enter the United States to enter and stay temporarily, according to the U.S. Department of State. These include people likely to request asylum.

ATM jackpotting occurs when criminals use a device to infect vending machines with malware to force the machines to dispense all the money inside them in a relatively short period of time – much like winning a jackpot on a casino slot machine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

This type of crime was first reported in the United States in January 2018, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The US Secret Service said in a report released this year that ATM jackpotting attacks had been carried out by at least seven “criminal groups” in at least 15 states, including New York.

In November 2018, two male members of a Venezuelan crime syndicate were sent to federal prison in connection with an ATM jackpot scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They hit four ATMs in Indiana, Kentucky and Wisconsin and stole approximately $125,000 in cash. The men were sent to prison for 51 months.

The men charged in the New York state robbery last year are Joelvis José Rivas-Solorzano, Silvio Fabian-Ordonez, José Medina, José Navarro, Deivy Santiago Pena-Rojas and Jefferson José Marquez-Marquez.

The men were charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery and four counts of bank robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Four of the men also face similar charges in another state, Southwick said.

Marquez-Marquez was charged in Belle Fourche, South Dakota. Medina, Navarro and Rivas-Solorzano all face charges in Dearborn, Michigan.

According to the indictment, from Dec. 10 to Dec. 16, the group attacked four ATMs in Onondaga, Broome and Chenango counties. Withdrawals were not linked to a specific customer account.

A criminal complaint filed against Pena-Rojas details how he and unnamed conspirators stole more than $200,000 from two Syracuse banks on Dec. 10 and 11.

About 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 10, Pena-Rojas and a co-conspirator went to the Empower Federal Credit Union ATM, 3700 W. Genesee St., opened the ATM and installed a device inside the ATM.

About ten minutes later, another vehicle stopped at the ATM and another person “inserted a card, pressed buttons and collected the cash dispensed continuously until 10:35 p.m.,” according to the complaint.

The two suspect vehicles left before returning later and conducting additional “transactions,” according to the complaint.

After midnight, the group opened the ATM and “withdrew something,” he said. A total of $134,400 was stolen from the ATM that night.

The Dec. 11 robbery at Empower Federal Credit Union, 515 Erie Blvd. was executed in a nearly identical pattern, according to the complaint. In total, $150,020 was stolen that night.

Bank records indicate the money was not tied to any individual account, according to the complaint. Instead, it was stolen directly from the bank.

The indictment alleges withdrawals of $48,000 from a GHS Federal Credit Union in Binghamton on Dec. 15 and $86,400 from a GHS Federal Credit Union in Norwich the next day.

The six men are in police custody.

The men, all from Venezuela, were placed in an immigration detention center and would have to appear in immigration court if released in connection with their criminal case, the assistant U.S. attorney said , Richard Southwick.

Here’s how the men entered the United States, according to immigration officials:

Here illegally

• Silvio Fabian Ordonez-Vasquez, 55, entered the United States illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, on September 16, 2023.
• Jose Gregorio Navarro, 31, entered the United States illegally near McAllen, Texas, on December 31, 2021. In January, an immigration judge ordered Navarro deported from the United States.
• Deivy Santiago Pena Rojas, 22, entered the United States illegally near the San Luis, Arizona port of entry on August 8, 2022.
• Jefferson Jose Marquez Marquez, 30, entered the United States illegally near El Paso, Texas on May 14.

On parole

• Joelvis Jose Rivas-Solorzano, 28, arrived near Brownsville, Texas, where he met with an immigration agent on February 25, 2023. He was granted parole there.
• Jose Jesus Medina-Landaez, 36, entered the United States near Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 5, 2022, where he met with an immigration agent. He was released on parole in this country.