Two Venezuelan men face charges of conspiracy to commit bank larceny and attempted bank larceny, according to a federal criminal complaint and arrest warrant issued this week. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky announced the charges alongside Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, and Police Chief Mike Canon of the Calvert City Police Department.
Court records indicate that on January 31, 2025, Jhoandiris Jimenez-Barrio, 26, and Yirvel Yonaiker Rios-Castro, 20, both from Venezuela, tried to steal money from an ATM in Calvert City, Kentucky. The Calvert City Police Department responded to an ATM alarm on that day as the suspects fled in a vehicle traveling at speeds between 70 and 80 mph. After striking another vehicle, they abandoned their car and fled on foot but were soon apprehended near a service station in Calvert City. Items found in their vehicle included a cordless drill, drill bits, latex gloves, a mask, and duct tape.
Homeland Security Investigations confirmed that both men are Venezuelan nationals who entered the United States illegally.
Currently held in state custody, Jimenez-Barrio and Rios-Castro are scheduled to make initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky at an undetermined date. If convicted on these charges, they could face up to 50 years in prison along with a $500,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on sentencing guidelines and statutory factors.
"There is no parole in the federal system," officials noted.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, HSI, and Calvert City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Hancock and Raymond McGee from the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office are leading the prosecution.
It is important to note that "a criminal complaint is merely an allegation" and all defendants "are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
