The National ATM Council recently shared the news that a seven-member gang has been apprehended and charged in New York City for ATM thefts totaling more than $1 million in cash.
According to ABC7 New York, the seven co-defendants were named in an 81-count state criminal indictment – charged with conspiracy, grand larceny, third-degree burglary and other crimes, which purportedly took place from 2017-2019. Two of the co-conspirators remained at large, while the five others were arraigned last month.
The alleged ATM thieves got away with multiple robberies that included thefts ranging from $3,000 to almost $500,000 per incident. The National ATM Council said, “The elaborate criminal enterprise involved extensive surveillance of ATM cash pick-up locations, loading routes and schedules, while using multiple surveillance vehicles/drivers, lookouts, and other operatives to successfully carry out the crimes.”
A common scheme among them was releasing air from a tire on a courier’s vehicle, then forcefully grab the cash when the courier stopped at a gas station to put air in the tire. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.