Venezuelan national admits ATM theft scheme to steal money in Jackson County
A Venezuelan man, who authorities say is in the country illegally, faces up to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty Thursday to conspiring to steal money from multiple ATMs in Jackson County, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Favian David Aparicio-Linares, 19, entered the plea in federal court in Gulfport. His sentencing is set for April 29.
Pascagoula police arrested Aparicio-Linares on Nov. 9 after a resident reported two suspicious people loitering near a bank on Market Street. When officers arrived, both suspects ran, but police captured Aparicio-Linares. Officers also recovered multiple electronic devices from the suspects’ vehicle.
Investigators later determined the pair had traveled from out of state to steal money from ATMs. Authorities said they planned to use malware to manipulate the machines into dispensing all their cash.
U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff announced the arrest and subsequent plea. The FBI and Pascagoula Police Department investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner.
The case was brought as part of the Trump administration’s Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice and Homeland Security Investigations targeting undocumented immigrants.
