OXFORD, Mississippi — A Venezuelan man federal prosecutors say has ties to the international gang Tren de Aragua was sentenced Wednesday in Oxford to 10 months in federal prison for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy involving ATM “jackpotting” schemes across Mississippi.
Darrin Daza-Segura, 26, who federal prosecutors said was living in Dallas as an undocumented immigrant, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills to 10 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $47,250 in restitution and will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for removal proceedings after his prison term, prosecutors said.
According to court documents and federal prosecutors, Daza-Segura and co-defendant Winder Alexander Canelon-Tiapa traveled throughout Mississippi reprogramming ATMs to force machines to dispense large amounts of cash, a crime commonly called “ATM jackpotting.” Authorities said the pair successfully stole approximately $47,000 and attempted to steal additional cash from banks across the state.
Federal authorities nationwide have linked similar ATM jackpotting schemes to alleged members of Tren de Aragua, who investigators say use malware to force ATMs to release cash. U.S. Attorney Scott Leary said the defendants targeted communities in north Mississippi while traveling through the region. “These Venezuelan gang members have been categorized as terrorists,” Leary said in a statement.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said investigators were able to stop a “dangerous TdA gang member from defrauding Mississippians.” The case was investigated by the Cyber Crime Division of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton A. Dabbs. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
