Two Venezuelan nationals have been indicted in Missouri for allegedly stealing large sums of money from hacked ATMs. Berny Alberson Meza-Rojas, 22, and Anthony Brijan Sorondo, 31, face charges of 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 ATMs to dispense substantial amounts of cash. On March 27, 2025, Sorondo and Meza-Rojas reportedly stole over $11,000 from ATMs in Bloomsdale and Herculaneum. From March 29 to March 30, they allegedly took 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 and links to similar incidents in Iowa and Kentucky.
If convicted of the conspiracy charge, they could face up to five years in prison or a $250,000 fine.
It is important to note that an indictment is an accusation and does not imply guilt; defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
The investigation involved the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, police departments across several Missouri cities including O’Fallon and Cape Girardeau, as well as the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is handling the prosecution.
