LUBBOCK, Texas — Three men were arrested in Lubbock and accused of using an electronic device to steal money from ATMS across the region, according to court documents obtained by EverythingLubbock.com on Friday.
Abel Valdes, 38, Yordanesz Sanchez, 41, and Carlos Jordano Herrera-Ruiz, 33, were arrested on August 3 at a hotel in the 6600 block of I-27, online jail records showed.
Court documents stated authorities in Lubbock were “made aware of a group committing thefts from ATMs in the West Texas region.”
The Texas Financial Crime Taskforce told authorities the crew was “able to steal large sums of US currency” from ATMs, court documents stated. According to court records, the three used a device called a “raspberry pi” that is plugged into ATMs and deactivates its security systems so they could remove the cash drawer.
SPECIAL NOTE: The court records referred to the device as a Raspberry Pie. However, the proper spelling is Raspberry Pi. This article has been updated.
Court documents stated the three suspects were seen stealing more than $5,700 from an ATM on 50th Street before they were arrested. Police found two raspberry pi devices in their hotel room, according to court records.
All three suspects were charged with Unlawful Interception, Use, or Disclosure of Wire, Oral, or Electronic Communications along with engaging in criminal activity. Sanchez was also charged with forgery, jail records showed. As of Friday, the three remained at the Lubbock County Detention Center on federal detainers.
