A New York federal judge ordered a 25-year-old Venezuelan man to be deported for his role in an ATM jackpotting scheme that stole more than $290,000 from credit unions and banks in Illinois, Massachusetts and New York.
After David Jose Gomez-Cegarra pleaded guilty to one felony count of bank larceny on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. Vildardo in Buffalo sentenced him to time served and ordered Gomez-Cegarra to pay $294,820 in restitution. He was then turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to court documents.
On Oct. 5, 2024, Gomez Cegarra and his co-conspirators stole $109,620 from an ATM at the $87.9 million Radius Federal Credit Union in Kenmore, N.Y. The next day, he also stole $58,000 from an ATM at the $1 billion St. Mary's Federal Credit Union in Marlborough, Mass.
On Oct. 17, 2024, Gomez Cegarra and his co-conspirators stole $21,600 from an ATM at First National Bank of Dryden in Dryden, N.Y., and on Nov. 11, 2024, stole $105,600 from two separate Community First Bank ATMs in Mount Vernon, Ill., according to federal prosecutors.
Criminals execute jackpotting by breaking into an ATM, replacing its hard drive with malware that overrides security systems and commands the machine to dispense cash.
Although Gomez-Cegarra's attorney stated in court documents that at least five other coconspirators were involved in the four jackpotting incidents, charges have not yet been filed against them.
"Amongst this group, Mr. Gomez-Cegarra did not play a large role in the offense," Assistant Federal Public Defender John J. Morrisey wrote in a memo to the judge.
Although one other person was initially charged and arrested, prosecutors dismissed that case in October 2025.
Court documents did not indicate whether Gomez-Cegarra was not part of the Tren de Aragua (TdA), a transnational criminal organization that prosecutors said orchestrated more than 100 bank and credit union ATM jackpotting attacks in 16 states resulting in more than $6.1 million in losses. Based in Venezuela, TdA is involved with human, drug and weapons trafficking as well as violent crimes in the U.S. and Latin America. Approximately 90 individuals have been charged for their involvement in this scheme.
Peter Strozniak can be reached at peter.strozniak@arc-network.com.
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