Venezuelan Nationals Convicted in ATM Jackpotting Scheme to Be Deported

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Luz Granados, 34, and Johan Gonzalez-Jimenez, 40, both illegal aliens residing in the United States are set to be deported after being convicted of conspiracy and computer crimes in an ATM Jackpotting scheme.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that that Jimenez and Granados targeted older model Automated Teller Machines (ATM) throughout the southeastern United States to steal money after business hours. The defendants would approach an ATM at nighttime and remove the outer casing of the machine and then connect a laptop computer to install malware which overcame the ATM’s security protocols. Once installed, the ATMs dispersed cash to the perpetrators until the ATM’s funds are exhausted. The dispersed funds were not tethered to any specific customer accounts but rather taken from the bank that owned the ATM. Targets included banks in Rock Hill and Columbia, as well as Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

The District of South Carolina also provided information from this case to the District of Nebraska which aided in their indictment of 54 people in a similar ATM jackpotting scheme.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Granados to time served and she remains in custody awaiting deportation. She was also ordered to pay $126,340 in restitution. Gonzalez-Jimenez was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay $285,100 in restitution. He will be deported once his sentence is complete.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's Computer Crime Center, the Rock Hill Police Department, and the West Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews prosecuted the case.

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