Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times,
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Jan. 26 said that a grand jury had returned an additional indictment against 31 people allegedly involved in a scheme to steal millions of dollars from ATMs through the use of malware.
“This indictment alleges 32 counts including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, bank fraud, bank burglary, and damage to computers,” the DOJ said in a statement.
These individuals join 56 others who have already been charged in connection with the case, bringing the total number charged to 87.
According to the DOJ, the 87 people are “Venezuelan and Colombian nationals including illegal alien Tren de Aragua (TdA) members.”
The DOJ said the alleged conspiracy “developed and deployed a variant of malware known as Ploutus, which was used to hack into ATMs and force ATMs to dispense cash.”
According to the additional indictment, members of the conspiracy would conduct reconnaissance and take notes of security features at targeted banks and ATMs. After initially removing the hood or door of an ATM, they allegedly waited nearby to see whether the action had triggered an alarm or alerted law enforcement.
After confirming no immediate response, the members of the conspiracy allegedly removed the ATM hard drives directly, replacing them with one pre-loaded with Ploutus malware, or connecting an external device such as a thumb drive to deploy the malware.
“The Ploutus malware’s primary purpose was to issue unauthorized commands associated with the Cash Dispensing Module of the ATM in order to force withdrawals of currency,” the DOJ said.
“The Ploutus malware was also designed to delete evidence of malware in an effort to conceal, create a false impression, mislead, or otherwise deceive employees of the banks and credit unions from learning about the deployment of the malware on the ATM.”
The indictment is the latest in an expanding investigation into so-called ATM jackpotting, following an Oct. 21 filing related to the case.
That indictment charged 32 individuals and alleged 56 counts, including one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, 18 counts of bank fraud, 18 counts of bank burglary, and 18 counts of damage to computers.
Another indictment returned on Dec. 9 charged 22 individuals. The charges in that indictment included 13 counts of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, 10 counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, 10 counts of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and fraud, and related activity in connection with computers, and 22 counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The indictment alleged that Tren de Aragua “used jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in the United States and then transferred the proceeds among its members and associates to conceal the illegally obtained cash.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a Jan. 26 statement that Tren de Aragua is a complex terrorist organization that commits “serious financial crimes in addition to horrific rapes, murders, and drug trafficking.”
“This Department of Justice has already prosecuted more than 290 members of Tren de Aragua and will continue working tirelessly to put these vicious terrorists behind bars after the prior administration let them infiltrate our country,” Bondi said.
The DOJ said that if convicted, the defendants in the Jan. 26 indictment face maximum prison terms ranging from 20 years to 335 years.
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