A 22-year-old Venezuelan national has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges tied to an ATM jackpotting scheme in Pell City, Alabama, after investigators say the case unraveled into something far more disturbing: dozens of files containing child sexual abuse material found on his iPhone.
Rodner Josue Centeno Moreno entered the pleas in separate but related cases, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama, as reported by wbrc.com. The case began when a Pell City police officer spotted an SUV parked in front of a bank ATM, then later found the machine open with its interior parts exposed and the vehicle gone, according to WVTM 13.
How the ATM Breach Unfolded
Investigators later found the abandoned SUV in a bank parking lot. The ATM itself had been breached through jackpotting, a scheme that involves accessing the machine's computer compartment so it can be operated without authorization, the station's report notes. A separate account from atmmarketplace.com states that authorities allege the suspects installed a Raspberry Pi device into the machine to make it dispense more than $5,000.
A search of the SUV turned up tools, gloves, cash, a cellphone, and a wallet containing multiple bank cards and a temporary driver's license bearing Moreno's name, per the same wbrc.com account. That temporary license listed an address in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, according to WVTM 13's reporting.
From Murfreesboro Surrender to Phone Search
Moreno reportedly contacted the Murfreesboro Police Department to surrender for attempting to rob the ATM, and officers there took him into custody at his residence. Pell City officers then traveled to Murfreesboro on June 15 to execute search warrants for Moreno, per WVTM 13's account of the case timeline.
It was during that phone search that investigators say they found the child sexual abuse material. A search warrant executed on Moreno's iPhone turned up dozens of files containing the material, according to the station's report. Moreno remains in the St. Clair County jail without bond, per the same account.
Co-Defendant Still Not in Custody
Moreno's alleged co-defendant, 26-year-old Deiber Jorhen Castillo Rodriguez, also of Venezuela and identified as the SUV's driver, was charged with conspiracy and attempting to access a protected computer in furtherance of fraud. As of the report, he had not yet been arrested, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. said Moreno's guilty pleas reflect the seriousness of both the ATM jackpotting scheme and the possession of child sexual abuse material. Williams said his office remains committed to holding offenders accountable and protecting communities and children, per WVTM 13's report.
Part of a Wider Jackpotting Pattern
Part of a Wider Jackpotting Pattern ATM jackpotting cases involving Venezuelan nationals have surfaced elsewhere in recent months. The Wausau Pilot & Review reported that two Venezuelan men in a Nebraska-led investigation were sentenced to 78 months and that a man accused of breaching a Weston credit union ATM in Wisconsin faces four cases across two counties, including a child pornography charge, with a plea and sentencing hearing set for January.
