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‘Jackpotting’ crew stole over $500,000 from ATMs along I-95 in Connecticut, FBI says

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The FBI in Connecticut said it arrested four men who allegedly stole tens of thousands at a time from ATMs at rest stops along I-95 from Darien to New Haven. In a two-week span, the four suspects stole more than $500,000 from eight ATM locations, according to investigators. The suspects are Venezuelan nationals who used hardware and malware to get the machines to churn out endless streams of cash, law enforcement officials said.

The FBI in Connecticut said it arrested four men who allegedly stole tens of thousands at a time from ATMs at rest stops along I-95 from Darien to New Haven. In a two-week span, the four suspects stole more than $500,000 from eight ATM locations, according to investigators. The suspects are Venezuelan nationals who used hardware and malware to get the machines to churn out endless streams of cash, law enforcement officials said. At a northbound rest stop in Fairfield, prosecutors said the men made off with $136,000 in one haul. Connecticut U.S. Attorney David Sullivan said the four men were charged with interstate stolen property and conspiracy counts. Two suspects are from New York City: 49-year-old Willian Flores, of the Bronx, and 41-year-old Alberto Arvilla, of Queens. Also charged were 38-year-old Luis Arvilla, of Lynn, Massachusetts, and 28-year-old Euclides Itanare of Raleigh, North Carolina. New Haven Homeland Security Task force team members had been tracking the alleged interstate crew since Aug. 2025. Sullivan said the suspects orchestrated so-called “jackpotting” schemes, using technology to corrupt the machines and access the cash. Surveillance photos in the criminal complaint allegedly show the men taking turns taking out cash as it was spewed from the compromised ATMs. Other pictures taken by the suspects themselves allegedly show piles of cash in the backseat of the silver Toyota Highlander used in the heists. Homeland Security officials said cellphone tracking data also linked some suspects to the exact location and timing of several ATM rip-offs. A call to Connecticut Public Defenders for comment about the charges against the defendants was not immediately returned. The four men were ordered held without bail as the federal criminal investigation continues. The U.S. attorney’s office said the four men can be tied to the following heists: - Aug 8, 2025: Cumberland Farms in Milford, with $23,300 stolen - Aug 8, 2025: Attempted heist at Cumberland Farms in Ansonia - Aug 14, 2025: I-95 north in Fairfield, with $136,000 stolen - Aug 15, 2025: I-95 north in Branford, with $66,400 stolen - Aug 16, 2025: I-95 north in Madison, with $42,020 stolen - Aug 16, 2025: I-95 south in Madison, with $84,000 stolen - Aug 17, 2025: I-95 north in Darien, with $61,600 stolen - Aug 18, 2025: I-95 north in Darien, with $58,400 stolen - Aug 18, 2025: I-95 south in Darien, with $57,000 stolen Officials said the investigation is ongoing into other possible past ATM thefts to see if they can be linked to the same “jackpotting” crew. If convicted, each of the men could face up to 10 years in federal prison.
ATMs (ORG) I-95 (LOCATION) Connecticut (LOCATION) FBI (ORG) Darien (LOCATION) New Haven (LOCATION) Venezuelan (ORG) Fairfield (LOCATION) U.S. (LOCATION) David Sullivan (PERSON) New York City (LOCATION) Willian Flores (PERSON) Bronx (LOCATION) Alberto Arvilla (PERSON) Queens (ORG)
Originally published by NBC News Read original →