Two Venezuelan nationals have been indicted for allegedly stealing large sums of money from hacked ATMs in Missouri. Berny Alberson Meza-Rojas, 22, and Anthony Brijan Sorondo, 31, were charged on June 4, 2025, with conspiracy to commit bank larceny. Both appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and pleaded not guilty.
The indictment claims that co-conspirators tampered with the ATMs to gain control and dispense significant amounts of cash. On March 27, 2025, Sorondo and Meza-Rojas allegedly took over $11,000 from ATMs in Bloomsdale and Herculaneum. Between March 29 and March 30, they reportedly extracted more than $70,000 from machines in O’Fallon, Festus, Ste. Genevieve, and Cape Girardeau.
A motion has been filed to keep both men detained until trial due to their illegal entry into the United States from Venezuela. They are also suspected of involvement in similar jackpotting incidents in Iowa and Kentucky.
If convicted of conspiracy charges, the defendants face up to five years in prison or a $250,000 fine or both.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an accusation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and several local police departments including those from O’Fallon, Cape Girardeau, Festus as well as St. Charles County Sheriff's Office among others. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is handling the prosecution.
