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SMITH COUNTY \u2013 A multi-state ATM hacking ring stretching across East Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas has led to three arrests. According to Smith County arrest documents, three men were taken into custody for their role in an ATM \u201cjackpotting\u201d scheme in which suspects scouted machines, opened them and connected Raspberry Pi devices to allow an off-site accomplice to wirelessly force the ATM to dispense cash for the crew on the ground.<\/p>\n
According to our news partner KETK, once the cash was taken from the ATM it was then funneled to criminal associates outside the United States. The documents also state that the people stationed at the ATMs had to remain in constant communication with their remote counterparts for the jackpotting attempts to succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cJackpotting requires extensive coordination and communication during and after the attack. In every offense, suspects on the ground can be seen communicating nonstop via cell phone with their remote criminal associates who give orders and provide technical instructions for installing malicious software and hardware,\u201d an arrest document described. \u201cTypically, these criminal groups also stay in constant contact with a minimum of two lookouts roving the area in separate vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n
One scout vehicle, referred to as Suspect Vehicle #2 in an affidavit, was recorded on security footage during an attempted jackpotting of BancFirst in Ardmore, Okla., on Sept. 28, 2025. The same vehicle was later seen scouting near another attempted jackpotting at Southside Bank on Three Lakes Parkway in Tyler on December 19.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 11, 2026, the same vehicle resurfaced in Green Forest, Ark.\u2014this time near an ATM at the Bank of 1889, where another jackpotting attempt was reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn multiple documented incidents, SUSPECT VEHICLE #2 was observed engaging in scouting activity prior to attempted offenses, maintaining positioning with clear lines of sight to targeted ATMs during the offenses and traveling in coordination with vehicles used by other suspects to physically access and manipulate the ATMs,\u201d an arrest document described.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis repeated and consistent pattern of behavior is indicative of a defined role within an organized criminal scheme, specifically providing surveillance and logistical support to facilitate the commission of ATM jackpotting offenses by other members of the group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Investigators later spotted the vehicle on security footage at a Phillips 66 in Green Forest, where they identified the driver as Luis Miguel Oviedo Rico and the passenger as Elvis Rafael Oviedo Rico, both from Dallas.<\/p>\n
Luis and Elvis were both arrested and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity in connection to these and other jackpotting schemes.<\/p>\n
Luis and Elvis were not the only suspects arrested in connection to the scheme:<\/p>\n
Suspects arrested outside of East Texas told investigators that a man known as \u201cEl Mec\u00e1nico\u201d \u2014 \u201cThe Mechanic\u201d \u2014 was coordinating the jackpotting operations. One suspect taken into custody in Fort Worth had previously been captured on camera alongside El Mec\u00e1nico at the Cherokee County Federal Credit Union in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n
During this attempt, El Mec\u00e1nico allegedly helped fraudulently withdraw $160,959 from the ATM in Jacksonville, according to an arrest affidavit.<\/p>\n
A special agent with the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center recognized El Mec\u00e1nico\u2019s build, clothing and apparent role from at least 19 jackpotting attempts dating back to Sept. 6, 2025.<\/p>\n
A search of the Fort Worth arrestee\u2019s phone revealed a WhatsApp user who identified himself as \u201cEl Mec\u00e1nico.\u201d According to an arrest affidavit, that account displayed the name \u201cMichaelToloza.\u201d Investigators then showed the arrestee photos of Mickael Freney Toloza Parra, and the arrestee identified Parra as El Mec\u00e1nico.<\/p>\n
The Fort Worth arrestee then linked Parra to an \u201cinner circle\u201d that included a man he believed to be affiliated with the Venezuela?based Tren de Aragua gang. Parra was later arrested by the Smith County Sheriff\u2019s Office on March 30 for engaging in organized criminal activity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SMITH COUNTY \u2013 A multi-state ATM hacking ring stretching across East Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas has led to three arrests. According to Smith County arrest documents, three men were taken into custody for their role in an ATM \u201cjackpotting\u201d scheme in which suspects scouted machines, opened them and connected Raspberry Pi devices to allow an … Continue reading Three arrested in jackpotting scheme<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1494265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2026\/04\/2026-04-07_030451-200x200.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1494241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news-archive-archives"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-06 12:18:16","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2026\/04\/2026-04-07_030451-200x200.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1494241"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1494660,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494241\/revisions\/1494660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1494265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1494241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1494241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1494241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}