Venezuelan nationals charged in $529K ATM jackpotting scheme at I-95 rest stops, feds say

Four Venezuelan nationals are accused of turning Connecticut rest-stop ATMs into cash-spewing machines in a "jackpotting" scheme that netted more than $529,000 in less than two weeks, federal prosecutors said.

The alleged crew hit ATMs along Interstate 95 and at other Connecticut locations between Aug. 8 and Aug. 18, 2025, using specialized hardware and malware to force the machines to dispense their cash, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

Prosecutors allege that Euclides Moreno Itanare, 28, of Raleigh, North Carolina; Willian Ricardo Flores, 49, of the Bronx, New York; Alberto Jose Freites Arvilla, 41, of Queens, New York; and Luis Jose Freites Arvilla, 38, of Lynn, Massachusetts were arrested June 25 and charged with interstate transportation of stolen property and conspiracy.

All four are citizens of Venezuela, prosecutors said.

VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS WHO ENTERED US ILLEGALLY PLEAD GUILTY TO GUNNING DOWN TWO UNARMED AMERICANS

Federal authorities said the men targeted ATMs in Milford and Ansonia, as well as I-95 rest stops in Fairfield, Branford, Madison and Darien.

GLOBAL SCAM CRACKDOWN LEADS TO 276 ARRESTS

In one alleged haul, the crew stole $136,000 from an ATM at the I-95 northbound rest stop in Fairfield, according to prosecutors. Other alleged thefts included $84,000 from an I-95 southbound rest stop in Madison, $66,400 from an I-95 northbound rest stop in Branford and multiple hits in Darien totaling more than $177,000.

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Prosecutors said the alleged scheme followed a similar pattern each time: one suspect acted as a lookout while another opened the ATM’s hood and accessed its internal components.

Over the next several hours, the men allegedly took turns walking up to the compromised ATM and collecting cash as it was dispensed.

The suspects sometimes changed clothes to avoid drawing attention when returning to the same machine multiple times, according to court documents.

Investigators said the case was built in part on surveillance footage, phone records, Google and Apple account records, and photos allegedly recovered from the suspects’ devices.

According to the criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital, one suspect’s Apple account contained photos of victimized ATMs before and during the thefts, images of cash in a vehicle and black plastic bags, and photos allegedly showing suspects counting money in New York hours after a Connecticut rest-stop theft.

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One attempted hit at a Cumberland Farms ATM in Ansonia was blocked because a software patch protected the machine from that type of theft, prosecutors said.

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All four men are currently detained. If convicted, the stolen-property charge carries up to 10 years in federal prison, while the conspiracy charge carries up to five years. Fox News Digital has reached out to attorneys for Flores, Luis Arvilla and Alberto Arvilla.

The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from Connecticut State Police, the Raleigh Police Department and the New York City Police Department. Officials said the investigation remains ongoing as authorities look into whether the same alleged crew can be tied to other ATM thefts.

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"Jackpotting" incidents are on the rise in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI.

In a report issued in February, federal investigators said that of 1,900 ATM jackpotting incidents reported since 2020, over 700 of them with more than $20 million in losses occurred in 2025 alone.