**Biden Border Crisis Fallout: Terror Gang Tren de Aragua Charged in Massive ATM Malware Scheme**

Federal prosecutors say the Biden-era border crisis has led to one of the most brazen cybercrime cases in years, as 54 alleged members of the Venezuelan terror gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) have been charged with using sophisticated malware to loot millions from U.S. ATMs and funnel the cash back to their criminal network.

The Department of Justice has unsealed two sweeping indictments charging 54 individuals for their alleged roles in a nationwide ATM "jackpotting" conspiracy tied to the violent Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TdA). Prosecutors say the group deployed sophisticated malware to force ATMs across the United States to dispense cash, stealing millions of dollars and funneling the proceeds back to TdA leadership.

According to court documents, the alleged conspiracy developed and deployed a variant of malware known as Ploutus, which was used to hack into ATMs and force them to dispense cash. The conspiracy relied on the recruitment of a number of individuals to deploy Ploutus malware nationwide.

Members of the conspiracy and TdA would travel in groups, using multiple vehicles, to the locations of targeted banks and credit unions. These groups would conduct initial reconnaissance and take note of external security features at the ATMs. Following this reconnaissance, the groups would open the hood or door of ATMs and then wait nearby to see whether they had triggered an alarm or a law enforcement response.

The groups would then take steps to install malware on the ATMs, by removing the hard drive and installing the malware directly, by replacing the hard drive with one that had been pre-loaded with the Ploutus malware, or by connecting an external device such as a thumb drive that would deploy the malware. The Ploutus malware's primary purpose was to issue unauthorized commands associated with the Cash Dispensing Module of the ATM in order to force withdrawals of currency.

Among those charged in the ATM scheme is Venezuelan entertainer Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). OFAC has alleged that Araya Navarro assisted TdA leader Héctor "Niño Guerrero" in escaping a Venezuelan prison in 2012 and has been photographed socially with him. She is now accused of providing material support to the terrorist group TdA through her alleged involvement in the jackpotting operation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nebraska reported that the indictment includes 56 counts, including one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, 18 counts of bank fraud, 18 counts of bank burglary, and 18 counts of damage to computers.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum term of imprisonment ranging between 20 and 335 years. Prosecutors noted that the DOJ describes TdA as "a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States."

The case highlights the severity of the border crisis, which allowed TdA members to flood into the United States often entering illegally while embedded in large groups of border crossers in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. The Trump administration, through the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, continue their efforts to rid the nation of these terrorists who were released into the U.S. during the Biden border crisis.

"This case demonstrates what state, federal, and local law enforcement officers can accomplish when they fully join forces," said United States Attorney Lesley Woods. "Many millions of dollars were drained from ATM machines across the United States as a result of this conspiracy and that money is alleged to have gone to Tren de Aragua leaders to fund their terroristic activities and purposes."

The U.S. Department of Justice has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Héctor Guerrero Flores, the alleged leader of TdA.