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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Venezuelan man sentenced for Kaukauna ATM theft, may face deportation
The fifth of six people charged with theft for the July 2024 robbery of a Kaukauna ATM was convicted and sentenced May 19. Andres Escobar Rodriguez, 31, of Irving, Texas, pleaded no contest to theft of moveable property valued between $10,000 and $100,000, as party to a crime. Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Emily Lonergan sentenced him to a year in jail, according to court records. Because Escobar Rodriguez's sentence includes "good time" — which means he is eligible to have 25% of his sentence reduced — he has no further jail time to serve on the sentence. The robbery occurred at Unison Credit Union, 1000 W. Hyland Ave. in Kaukauna, on July 5, 2024. Six people were arrested and charged — Escobar Rodriguez, Manuel Piña Gonzalez, Yenaiker Avila Acevedo, Jesse Duque Escobar, Adonay Dalis Ramirez, and Johamnel Ortiz Sanchez. All have been convicted and sentenced for the theft except Ortiz Sanchez, who has an arraignment and plea hearing at 9 a.m. July 17. At previous sentencing hearings, Outagamie County Assistant District Attorney Joshua Dryak said the six defendants were involved in a "theft scheme" to get money from older ATMs with security flaws. They downloaded malware onto the ATM, which allowed them to retrieve funds, and took $38,000 out of the machine, he said. All the defendants but Dalis Ramirez had Venezuelan IDs, according to a criminal complaint. The ATM theft became a talking point in local politics in the fall, after David Murphy, representative for Wisconsin's 56th Assembly District who was running for reelection, issued a news release stating he was concerned that five people arrested and charged with the theft were members of a Venezuelan gang. His opponent in the November 2024 election, Emily Tseffos, slammed Murphy's statements as "irresponsible assumptions." At multiple sentencing hearings for the defendants, attorneys and judges noted that the defendants may face deportation as a consequence of their conviction. According to court records, Escobar Rodriguez and other defendants, must pay restitution totaling $33,400 to Stuart-Lippman and Associates Inc., and more than $11,700 to Unison Credit Union. Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@ Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @ArseneauKelli. This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Venezuelan man sentenced for Kaukauna ATM theft, may face deportation
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Florida man sentenced to jail time for Kaukauna ATM theft, may face deportation
APPLETON — A Florida man was sentenced April 11 to a year in jail for his role in a robbery of a Kaukauna ATM last summer. Adonay Dalis Ramirez, 33, was one of six people charged in connection with the robbery, which occurred at Unison Credit Union, 1000 W. Hyland Ave. in Kaukauna, on July 5. He pleaded guilty April 3 to one count of theft of moveable property valued between $10,000 and $100,000. Because Dalis Ramirez already served 279 days in jail, and his sentence includes "good time" — which means he is eligible to have 25% of his sentence reduced — he has no further jail time to serve. He is the only one of the six defendants who had an ID from the United States, according to a criminal complaint. However, despite his current legal status, attorneys pointed out that Dalis Ramirez may still face possible deportation. Outagamie County Assistant District Attorney Joshua Dryak said "a movement" has built over the last few months to address the immigration status of "people who have come from another place and are committing crimes." Dryak pointed out Dalis Ramirez had a criminal history in Florida, Texas and California, and said Dalis Ramirez's case is "exactly the type of example" that supports the necessity of changing immigration policy. Dalis Ramirez's defense attorney, Amber Lucsay, disagreed. "Mr. Dalis Ramirez, from what I understand, is here legally and he has received asylum at this point. That being said, we have seen the Trump administration, which is blatantly racist, deport people based on the color of their skin in the United States," Lucsay said. The one-year jail sentence was a joint recommendation by both attorneys. It's the same sentence two other co-defendants received. Jesse Duque Escobar, Manuel Piña Gonzalez and Yenaiker Avila Acevedo have all been convicted of the same charge in connection with the robbery. Two people — Johamnel Ortiz Sanchez and Andres Escobar Rodriguez — have ongoing cases. Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Emily Lonergan said the ATM theft, which involved installing malware onto the ATM that allowed the co-defendants to retrieve around $38,000, was a serious offense. Still, Lonergan said Dalis Ramirez had already served "a significant period of time in jail," and she said while Dalis Ramirez's immigration status is not very relevant to her sentencing decision, he may face "some significant collateral consequences" due to his theft conviction. RELATED: Venezuelan man sentenced to year in jail for Kaukauna ATM robbery, faces deportation RELATED: Third man convicted, sentenced for his role in robbing a Kaukauna ATM in July The ATM theft became a talking point in local politics in the fall, when David Murphy, representative for Wisconsin's 56th Assembly District who was running for reelection, issued a news release stating he was concerned that five people arrested and charged with the theft were members of a Venezuelan gang. His opponent in the November 2024 election, Emily Tseffos, slammed Murphy's statements as "irresponsible assumptions." Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@ Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli. This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Florida man sentenced to jail time for Kaukauna ATM theft
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Venezuelan man sentenced to year in jail for Kaukauna ATM robbery, faces deportation
APPLETON — One of six people from Venezuela charged in connection with robbing an ATM at a Kaukauna bank last summer was convicted Wednesday and sentenced to a year in jail. Manuel Piña Gonzalez, 40, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft of moveable property valued between $10,000 and $100,000, as party to a crime. He is not a U.S. citizen and likely faces deportation from the country following his jail sentence, both prosecution and defense attorneys said at his plea and sentencing hearing. Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Yadira Rein accepted the 12-month jail time recommendation agreed upon by both the prosecution and defense. "To some, perhaps the joint recommendation that I am being asked to accept may not seem like enough of a punishment," Rein told Piña Gonzalez. "But the collateral consequences of your poor decision-making is going to follow you and your family for the rest of your life." Piña Gonzalez already has around eight months of jail credit, Rein ruled. According to a criminal complaint, six people, including Piña Gonzalez, were involved in the robbery of an ATM at Unison Credit Union, 1000 W. Hyland Ave. in Kaukauna, in the early morning hours of July 5, 2024. When officers arrested them, they found five of the six individuals had Venezuelan IDs. Outagamie County Assistant District Attorney Joshua Dryak said the six people were involved in a "theft scheme" to get money from older ATMs that had security flaws. They downloaded malware onto the ATM, which allowed them to retrieve funds, and took $38,000 out of the machine, he said. In court, Piña Gonzalez said he was ashamed of his actions. He said he came to the United States for safety and to help his children have educational opportunities. While his family settled in Kansas City, Piña Gonzalez moved to Minnesota to find work to help provide money to his mother, who was sick with cancer, and his father, who had been detained at the U.S. border and needed an attorney. While in Minnesota, Piña Gonzalez said, he borrowed money from someone, and in exchange was roped into committing the theft. "Sometimes we make decisions because we don't have the same opportunities as others," Piña Gonzalez said, through a court-sworn Spanish-to-English translator. Rein said she believes Piña Gonzalez is genuinely sorry for participating in the theft. "I know that you are very ashamed, because you can barely look up at me," the judge told him. "I don't know what life has in store for you, sir, but you need to hold your head high with the fact that you are here and you took responsibility for your actions, and you truly are remorseful." Rein also told Piña Gonzalez the crime made life a little harder for people who had money in the bank and made some in the community feel unsafe. She expressed empathy for his situation. "This sentence doesn't stop making you a dad and a son, and that's something that you will be no matter where you are," Rein said. "I encourage you — knowing that it's easy for me to say up here — but I encourage you to have hope." Piña Gonzalez's attorney, Paul Zilles, pointed out the "current political climate" between the United States and Venezuela does not ensure that Piña Gonzalez will be able to return to Venezuela if he is deported, but may instead be sent to a "facility" with other people from South America and Central America. Four people — Jesse Duque Escobar, 52; Johamnel Ortiz Sanchez, 39; Andres Escobar Rodriguez, 31; and Adonay Dalis Ramirez, 32 — have ongoing cases related to the robbery. Yenaiker Avila Acevedo, 24, was convicted in October of theft of movable property and two counts of disorderly conduct, and given a deferred sentence. Convicted defendants will also have to pay restitution together, Rein said. RELATED: Rep. Murphy draws criticism for concerns that Kaukauna ATM robbery was linked to Venezuelan gang The ATM theft became a political talking point in September, when David Murphy, representative for Wisconsin's 56th Assembly District, issued a news release stating he was concerned that five people arrested in July and charged with stealing money from a Kaukauna ATM are members of a Venezuelan gang. His opponent in the November 2024 election, Emily Tseffos, slammed Murphy's statements as "irresponsible assumptions." No discussion was given at the hearing of any known ties between the theft and gang activities. Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@ Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli. This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Venezuelan man convicted of Kaukauna ATM robbery, 5 others charged
