Five men have pleaded guilty to attempting to steal money from ATMs in Kansas through “jackpotting,” according to the Department of Justice.
Five men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank larceny: 27-year-old Luis Velasquez-Artigas, 29-year-old Royder Figuera-Perez, 27-year-old Javier Mejia Jr., 22-year-old Alexjandro Corales-Garcia and 26-year-old Italo Corrales-Carrillo, according to a news release from Danielle Thomas, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice.
According to the news release, the men traveled from Indiana to Kansas in December 2025, where they attempted to steal cash from ATMs in Wamego and Manhattan through “jackpotting.”
Jackpotting, Thomas said, “involves installing malware into an ATM to force it to dispense sizable amounts of money.”
The group planned for one of the men to “physically install the malware into the ATMS” before the group would remotely activate and dispense money from the machine, Thomas said.
The men did not successfully install the malware in Wamego or Manhattan, Thomas said. They were captured on nearby surveillance cameras.
According to the news release, jackpotting incidents are increasing across the country. A report released from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in February listed 1,900 nation-wide jackpotting incidents since 2020, 700 of which occurred in 2025.
“The FBI will continue to identify and expose these schemes, work closely with our private-sector and law enforcement partners to strengthen defense and pursue those responsible,” said Chris Ormerod, special agent in charge for FBI Kansas City.
Velasquez-Artigas was sentenced to nine months in prison for his role in the scheme, Thomas said. The other men have yet to be sentenced.