Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo has announced the arrest and charging of two Venezuelan nationals, David Jose Gomez Cegarra, 24, and Jesus Segundo Hernandez-Gil, 19, in connection with bank theft and conspiracy to commit bank theft. The charges could result in a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey E. Intravatola and Douglas A.C. Penrose are handling the case against the two individuals who are alleged members of the Tren de Aragua Gang, identified by the White House as a Global Terrorist Organization. They stand accused of engaging in an ATM Jackpotting scheme—a method that involves tampering with an ATM’s hard drive using malware to illicitly dispense cash.
According to the complaint, Gomez-Cegarra and Hernandez-Gil were involved in an incident at Radius Federal Credit Union in Kenmore, NY on October 5, 2024. Surveillance footage captured a vehicle driven by Gomez-Cegarra approaching a drive-up ATM where a co-conspirator used a key to access the machine and seemingly installed something inside before leaving. Over several hours, the vehicle returned multiple times to make illegal withdrawals totaling $110,440.
The pair is also suspected of similar activities at St. Maly’s Federal Credit Union in Framingham, Massachusetts; First National Bank of Dryden in Dryden, NY; and two Community First Bank locations in Mount Vernon, Illinois between October 6 and November 11 of last year. These incidents reportedly resulted in approximately $187,000 being stolen.
On November 11, 2024, both men were stopped by Mahomet Police Department officers for suspicious activity while traveling together in Illinois. Presenting Venezuelan identification documents upon their arrest led to further charges by Mount Vernon Police Department regarding their alleged involvement at Community First Bank locations.
This investigation was conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia's direction along with local police departments from Kenmore (Chief Thomas Phillips), Homer (Chief Robert Pitman), Framingham (Chief Lester Baker), and Mahomet.
It should be noted that these charges remain accusations until proven otherwise through due legal process.
Alerts Sign-up