Two Individuals with Ties to Venezuelan Organized Crime Syndicate Plead Guilty to Bank Theft

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi announced that two individuals with ties to the Venezuelan organized crime syndicate Tren de Araqua pleaded guilty to bank theft. Jesus Rene Cabrera Tobias, 25, and Darwin Javier Delgado, 46, were indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing $21,500 from an ATM machine in Enterprise, Mississippi on August 8, 2024. The duo used hacking techniques and a foreign device to assume control of the ATM operating system and security features, allowing them to withdraw cash from the machine.

Key Takeaways:

• Tobias and Delgado were indicted by a federal grand jury for bank theft, with charges including access device fraud and conspiracy to commit bank theft.
• The duo stole $21,500 from an ATM machine in Enterprise, Mississippi on August 8, 2024, by hacking the ATM operating system and disabling security features.
• Surveillance footage captured the defendants manipulating the ATM, installing a foreign device, and retrieving cash.
• Investigators identified the suspect vehicle and its owner through surveillance footage, with Delgado being the registered owner.
• A forensic examination of the defendants' cellular phones contained photographs and videos of the theft, including metadata placing the defendants at the scene of the crime.
• Tobias and Delgado are citizens of Venezuela and were acting in coordination with members of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Araqua from Venezuela.
• The FBI investigated the case with assistance from local law enforcement agencies and will continue to aggressively pursue TdA's operations in the U.S.
• Tobias is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, 2025, while Delgado is scheduled to be sentenced on October 7, 2025.
• The defendants face a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment followed by possible deportation.

Statistics:

• $21,500: The amount stolen from the ATM machine in Enterprise, Mississippi on August 8, 2024.
• 2: The number of individuals indicted for bank theft, Jesus Rene Cabrera Tobias and Darwin Javier Delgado.
• 25 and 46: The ages of the defendants, Jesus Rene Cabrera Tobias and Darwin Javier Delgado, respectively.
• 2024: The year in which the bank theft occurred.
• 2025: The year in which Tobias and Delgado are scheduled to be sentenced.

Sources:

• Press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.