Venezuelan Men Charged In Edwardsville ATM Theft Scheme

PHOTOS: Carlos A. Marcanos-Gonzales, Keyler G. Barreto, and Jose Mora Herrera.

EDWARDSVILLE – Three Venezuelan natives have been charged with orchestrating a scheme to steal cash from an Edwardsville bank ATM.

Carlos A. Marcanos-Gonzales, 27, Keyler G. Barreto, 19, and Jose Mora Herrera, 24, were each charged on May 23, 2025 with attempted theft (each Class 3 felonies) and computer tampering (each Class 4 felonies).

On May 22, 2025, the three allegedly accessed the locked panel of an ATM at the Bank of Madison County in Edwardsville in attempt to steal over $10,000. Each are accused of taking part in an ATM theft scheme involving the installation of a computer program to cause the ATM to dispense money without authorization.

Petitions filed to deny each of the defendants’ pretrial release describe the incident as follows:

“Defendant and two co-defendants were located near the scene of an ATM alarm activation at Madison County Bank,” the petitions state. “Officers were aware of an ongoing scheme where suspects will access the ATM, flee to observe law enforcement response, and return afterwards to re-enter the ATM and install software to override the ATM programming and cause it to dispense currency without authorization.

“Officers located three suspects sitting in a vehicle at a closed business approximately one-half mile from the location of the ATM alarm. Video from the bank showed individuals matching their description had opened the ATM panel, using a key, then fleeing upon activating the alarm.”

Officers later searched the suspect vehicle and found “an unauthorized ATM key, as well as multiple cell phones and computer equipment, apparently capable of overriding an ATM.” Authorities also located masks and gloves in the vehicle which were worn by the suspects as seen on surveillance video.

“Defendants are all confirmed to be citizens of Venezuela, in the United States without proper authorization,” the petition adds. “None have any connection to Madison County.” Each defendant has reportedly been “confirmed to have an immigration violation and removal order in place.”

The Edwardsville Police Department presented each of the cases against Marcanos-Gonzales, Barreto, and Herrera. All three individuals currently remain in custody at the Madison County Jail.

All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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