A federal grand jury has indicted two Venezuelan nationals, Joel Alejandro Morantes Leal and Endis Daniel Gonzalez Ortega, for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to steal cash from ATMs. The indictment charges them with operating an ATM “jackpotting” scheme in Merced and Tulare Counties, as well as in six other western states.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced the charges against Morantes, 25, of San Cristobal, Venezuela, and Gonzalez, 22. Morantes faces additional charges including bank robbery and accessing protected computers to further fraud.
Court documents reveal that between April 1 and May 29 of this year, the pair engaged in a scheme to infect ATMs with malware. This caused the machines to dispense money without valid transactions at targeted banks and credit unions across California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska, Utah, and Washington. The defendants allegedly jackpotted or attempted to jackpot over 30 ATMs resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars being stolen. In one instance at a credit union in Merced County during April 2025 alone, they reportedly stole approximately $94,800.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation with support from local law enforcement agencies including Larimer County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado and Eugene Police Department in Oregon. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey A. Spivak and Arelis M. Clemente are prosecuting the case.
If convicted on conspiracy charges both defendants face up to five years imprisonment along with fines reaching $250k each; while Morantes could receive up ten years if found guilty regarding bank robbery plus similar financial penalties per count related computer access violations aimed towards committing fraud offenses under federal statutes applicable here today but subject judicial discretion based sentencing guidelines which consider various factors before determining final outcomes following trial proceedings conclude eventually proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt given current allegations remain unproven thus far legally speaking still presuming innocence remains intact until contrary evidence presented sufficiently establishes otherwise according legal standards required achieving convictions within US justice system framework governing such matters accordingly moving forward now underway officially via courts involved handling these issues appropriately according rules 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