Venezuelan men sentenced to prison for attempted theft from Calvert City ATM

Two men from Venezuela were sentenced to federal prison for an attempted theft from a Calvert City ATM.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office from the Western District of Kentucky said 27-year-old Jhoandiris Jimenez-Barrio was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly 3 years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank larceny and attempted bank larceny. Twenty-one-year-old Yirvel Yonaiker Rios-Castro was previously sentenced in November to 2 years in prison for the same charges.

In January of 2025, the two men set off alarms when they tried to steal money from the ATM. Calvert City police said they saw the suspects drive from the scene, going between 70-80 miles per hour.

They hit another vehicle and ran from the scene of the wreck. Police caught them at a nearby gas station.

While searching their vehicle, investigators found a cordless drill, drill bits, latex gloves, a mask and duct tape.

Both were ordered to pay $67,039.67 in restitution.

According to the news release, Jimenez-Barrio illegally entered the United States in 2022. He was apprehended at the border, but was released into the U.S. Rios-Castro illegally entered the U.S. in November 2024 and was apprehended at the border. He was also released into the U.S.

The Western District of Kentucky includes courthouses in Bowling Green, Louisville, Owensboro and Paducah.