Two Venezuelan nationals have been sentenced to federal prison for attempting to steal money from an ATM in Calvert City, Kentucky. The sentencing follows their involvement in a failed theft on January 31, 2025.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, Jhoandiris Jimenez-Barrio, 27, and Yirvel Yonaiker Rios-Castro, 21, both entered the United States illegally—Jimenez-Barrio in September 2022 and Rios-Castro in November 2024. Both were apprehended at the border but released into the country.
Authorities say that on the day of the attempted theft, police responded to an ATM alarm. The two men fled the scene at high speed in a vehicle driven by Jimenez-Barrio. After colliding with another vehicle and fleeing on foot, they were arrested at a nearby service station by local police. A search of their car revealed items including a cordless drill, drill bits, latex gloves, a mask, and duct tape.
Jimenez-Barrio was sentenced to 32 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit bank larceny and attempted bank larceny. Rios-Castro received a sentence of 24 months in prison with two years of supervised release for similar charges. Both men were ordered to pay $67,039.67 in restitution.
United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner commented on the case: “This case is a prime example of the damage catch-and-release of illegal aliens has done to the United States. Both of these men illegally entered the United States and committed a serious felony crime resulting in a substantial loss to the victim of their crime. Moreover, American taxpayers are now saddled with the cost of incarcerating criminals who should not have been in the United States in the first place. Kentucky’s citizens lost because these criminals were released into our community.”
Federal sentences do not allow for parole.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI Paducah Satellite Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Calvert City Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Hancock and Raymond McGee prosecuted this case from the Paducah Branch Office.
