Two Venezuelan Nationals Indicted for Conspiracy Steal Cash in ATM “Jackpotting” Scheme in Merced and Tulare Counties and Elsewhere

A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Joel Alejandro Morantes Leal, 25, of San Cristobal, Venezuela, and Endis Daniel Gonzalez Ortega, 22, of Venezuela, charging them in a conspiracy to steal cash from ATMs in the Counties of Merced and Tulare and in six other western states, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

Morantes was additionally charged with one count of bank robbery, one count of accessing a protected computer in furtherance of fraud, and three counts of attempting to access a protected computer in furtherance of fraud.

According to court documents, between April 1, 2025, and May 29, 2025, Morantes and Gonzalez engaged in an ATM "jackpotting" conspiracy, where they stole money from ATMs at targeted banks and credit unions around the Western United States by infecting the ATMs with malware and causing them to dispense money without a valid transaction. They worked with others and targeted ATMs in California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska, Utah, and Washington. The defendants and their co-conspirators jackpotted or attempted to jackpot more than 30 ATMs and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in U.S. Currency. In one incident alone, in April 2025 at a credit union in Merced County, they stole approximately $94,800 in cash. The investigation is ongoing.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Larimer County (Colorado) Sheriff's Office and the Eugene (Oregon) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey A. Spivak and Arelis M. Clemente are prosecuting the case.

If convicted of conspiracy, Morantes and Gonzalez face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of bank robbery, Morantes faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of accessing or attempting to access a protected computer in furtherance of fraud, Morantes faces and a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.