Venezuelan national sentenced for stealing nearly $300,000 from ATMS in NY, Massachusetts and Illinois

BUFFALO, N.Y. -U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that David Jose Gomez Cegarra, 25, a citizen of Venezuela, who was convicted of bank larceny, was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay restitution totaling $294,820 by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Cegarra was then turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Between October 5 and November 11, 2024, Gomez Cegarra, and several co-conspirators, stole more than $290,000 using an illicit technique known as "ATM Jackpotting," in which they either removed an ATM's cover and infected its hard drive with malware or removed the entire hard drive and replaced it with an infected hard drive. The technique allows an individual to assume control of an ATM and cause it to dispense currency.

• On October 5, 2024, Gomez Cegarra and his co-conspirators stole $109,620.00 from an ATM located at Radius Federal Credit Union in Kenmore, NY.
• On October 6, 2024, Gomez Cegarra and his co-conspirators stole $58,000.00 from an ATM located at St. Mary's Federal Credit Union in Framingham, MA.
• On October 17, 2024, Gomez Cegarra and his co-conspirators stole $21,600.00 from an ATM located at First National Bank of Dryden in Dryden, NY.
• On November 11, 2024, Gomez Cegarra and his co-conspirators stole $105,600.00 from two separate Community First Bank ATMs in Mount Vernon, Il.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey E. Intravatola and Douglas A.C. Penrose. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera, the Kenmore Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Phillips, the Homer, NY, Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Pitman, the Framingham, MA, Police Department, under the direction of Chief Lester Baker, and the Mahomet, Illinois, Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smysor.

# # # #