2 Venezuelans Convicted in US for Using Malware to Hack ATMs

According to the US Department of Justice, two Venezuelan nationals have been convicted in the United States for ATM jackpotting, with the case announced this week. Luz Granados, 34, and Johan Gonzalez-Jimenez, 40, conducted ATM jackpotting by removing the machine’s outer casing and connecting a laptop to install malware that instructed the ATM to dispense cash.

Granados was sentenced to time served and must pay $126,340 in restitution, while Gonzalez-Jimenez received 18 months in prison and was ordered to pay $285,100. Both defendants face deportation, with Granados in custody awaiting removal and Gonzalez-Jimenez set to be deported after imprisonment.

This follows a separate DoJ announcement less than two weeks earlier about five Venezuelan nationals who pleaded guilty or were sentenced in a multi-state ATM jackpotting ring, and it echoes December charges against 54 individuals linked to Tren de Aragua, a group named in relation to the wider operation. The December announcement named Ploutus as the malware used in the attacks, a variant associated with ATM malware campaigns. The case underscores ongoing US efforts to prosecute ATM jackpotting and related cybercrime.