FBI most wanted fugitive ‘Prometheus’ is captured

A Venezuelan man accused of helping to lead a multimillion-dollar ATM hacking operation allegedly linked to the Tren de Aragua gang has been apprehended and brought to the United States to face federal charges, the Justice Department announced.

Anibal Alexander Canelon Aguirre, 50, known as “Prometheus” and “The Engineer,” is accused by federal prosecutors of being a principal leader of an international conspiracy that used malicious software to force ATMs to dispense cash. Authorities allege the operation generated money for Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan crime syndicate.

Canelon Aguirre appeared Friday, October 2, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson in Nebraska and pleaded not guilty to all four counts against him. He will remain detained in Nebraska while awaiting trial, the Justice Department said.

Newsweek has contacted Canelon Aguirre’s legal team and the FBI for comment via email outside office hours.

Tren de Aragua originated as a prison gang in Venezuela before expanding across the Western Hemisphere, and U.S. authorities have linked the organization to crimes including drug and firearms trafficking, kidnapping, fraud, extortion, and violent offenses. The Trump administration designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025.

Canelon Aguirre was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitives list in March 2026, becoming the 540th person placed on the list and the first alleged cybercriminal to receive the designation.

The Justice Department did not say in its Friday announcement where Canelon Aguirre was apprehended.

Canelon Aguirre was indicted by a federal grand jury in Nebraska in December 2025. He has been charged charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank burglary and fraud in connection with computers, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

The FBI said Canelon Aguirre was wanted for allegedly leading a large international conspiracy that sent crews into the United States to steal millions of dollars from financial institutions in support of Tren de Aragua. The alleged scheme had operated since at least January 2024, the agency added.

Prosecutors allege Canelon Aguirre developed Ploutus malware used in what is known as “ATM jackpotting.” In such an attack, criminals install malware that forces a cash machine to dispense money without debiting a bank account.

The malware allegedly contained protections intended to impede forensic analysis, reverse-engineering, and debugging. Prosecutors said it also included files capable of deleting malware from an infected system in an effort to conceal its deployment from financial institutions.

“Anibal Canelon Aguirre served as a key architect of sophisticated malware used to drain ATMs of cash across the United States — technology that helped fuel the criminal operations of the violent transnational organization Tren de Aragua,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a press release.

The conspiracy to commit bank fraud charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries up to 20 years, while the material-support conspiracy carries a maximum possible 15-year sentence.

An indictment is an allegation. Canelon Aguirre is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Investigators say the conspiracy targeted or carried out ATM jackpotting attacks in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and several foreign countries. The Justice Department said 120 defendants have been charged in the District of Nebraska in connection with the alleged conspiracy.

Three defendants in the wider investigation have already been sentenced in Nebraska: Oddry Arnoldo Cabrera Torrealba and Carlos Javier Padron received 78 months in prison, while Juan Manuel Gouveia Aguilera was sentenced to 96 months.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Canelon Aguirre was the 10th person on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list captured since the beginning of the Trump administration.

The FBI’s handling of the Ten Most Wanted list has faced scrutiny. An MS NOW investigation reported that, under FBI Director Kash Patel, several fugitives were added to the list shortly before their arrests, including two who were captured within 24 hours of being added.

Some additions were made when authorities were already close to apprehending the suspects, potentially inflating the appearance of success. The FBI disputed the reporting, saying claims that its arrest figures were being improperly counted were false.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Cristina Diciu.