Venezuelans convicted of jackpotting a Kansas ATM face deportation

TOPEKA, KAN - Two Venezuelan nationals face possible deportation after completing prison sentences for stealing thousands of dollars from an automated teller machine (ATM) through jackpotting. Jackpotting involves installing malware into an ATM to force it to dispense money.

According to court documents, Luinder Daniel Cordova-Castellano, 20, and Jheison Alexander Lara-Sira, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of bank larceny.

Each defendant was sentenced to time served, but as part of their plea agreements, they waived their ability to contest should an immigration judge issue a final order of removal in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act.

In December 2025, Pottawatomie County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call about suspicious activity at a bank in Manhattan. After driving up to an ATM, a witness reported seeing a man run away from the ATM then flee in a dark colored Toyota Prius. Deputies spotted the vehicle and followed it to a business where they approached the occupants, Cordova-Castellano and Lara-Sira.

The smell of marijuana gave deputies probable cause search of the vehicle. Inside of a backpack, law enforcement found approximately $15,000 in cash. Deputies located a laptop, keyboard, cables, tools, and a wireless hotspot in the vehicle.

While executing a search warrant on Cordova-Castellano's cellphone, law enforcement found chat conversations in Spanish about ATMs and photos of ATMs.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office's Criminal Division doesn't directly take part in deportation hearings. However, when we are prosecuting non-citizens for federal criminal offenses, we are cognizant of when their conduct merits prompt removal from our country, saving the taxpayer the cost of incarceration," said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. "By offering plea agreements that include restrictions on appealing removal orders, we are helping to expedite the process of extracting convicted felons from within our borders and minimizing the expense of their prison stay."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

###