Two illegal aliens have each been sentenced to 78 months in prison for their role in a massive scheme to rip off ATMs that prosecutors say then funded the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Carlos Javier Padron, 36, and Oddry Arnoldo Cabrera Torrealba, 37, both from Venezuela, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, and must pay over $1.5 million in restitution to banks they ripped off.
The two used malware called Ploutus on ATMs, forcing them to dispense cash in a technique called ATM jackpotting.
Padron and Torrealba were arrested in Lincoln, Nebraska in October 2024 that led to a federal investigation into the conspiracy and 96 other indictments. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the investigation made “extensive direct and indirect links” between those indicted and Tren de Aragua, which uses ATM jackpotting as one of its revenue streams.
DOJ Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said Padron Torrealba “helped deploy sophisticated malware as part of a transnational criminal network that hacked ATMs across the United States and stole millions of dollars through a technique known as ATM jackpotting.”
“Crimes like this undermine the security of our financial institutions and fuel the operations of violent transnational criminal organizations such as Tren de Aragua (TdA),” he added. “This sweeping investigation with the District of Nebraska and our law enforcement partners has disrupted this network at all levels. We will protect our financial institutions from technology enabled fraud.”
Two Illegal Aliens Sentenced in International ATM “Jackpotting” Conspiracy with Ties to Tren de Aragua
“Carlos Javier Padron and Oddry Arnoldo Cabrera Torrealba helped deploy sophisticated malware as part of a transnational criminal network that hacked ATMs across the United… pic.twitter.com/r3fSOuuTNM
— Criminal Division (@DOJCrimDiv) June 26, 2026
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City Acting Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini said Padron and Torrealba “participated in a crime that was both an attack on the American financial system, and an effort by Tren De Aragua to fund even more terror in our country.”
The Trump administration has targeted gangs and cartels like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, classifying them as foreign terrorist organizations.
“This brutal criminal group has conducted kidnappings, extorted businesses, bribed public officials, authorized its members to attack and kill U.S. law enforcement, and assassinated a Venezuelan opposition figure,” the U.S. State Department said about TdA.
