Lang
5/10/25
One of two suspects in an Iowa City jackpotting scheme has entered a guilty plea.
50-year-old Cristian Chira, whose address is listed simply as “Romana” in arrest records, entered the plea on Friday. No details about the plea deal are listed in online records.
Iowa City Police say Chira and 22-year-old Daniel Villegas walked into L&M Mighty Shop on East Burlington Street in March and began using the two ATM’s at different times. They allegedly used a special card that contained a code that overrode the ATMs’ functions and forced them to dispense all of their cash at once. The code on the card also alters the ATM ledger, showing the transactions as being legal and approved by a customer’s financial institution. The combined amount of stolen cash is listed at $13,080.
Chira and Villegas were captured by police when they arrived at another store that uses the same company’s ATM. Police say the scam was conducted on the same type of ATM all across the state at the same time, resulting in losses estimated between $700,000 and one million dollars.
Both men were charged with 1st Degree Theft, 1st Degree Fraudulent Practices, Conspiracy to Commit a Non-Forcible Felony, and Unauthorized Computer Access. All charges carry a maximum total sentence of 26 years.
A sentencing date for Chira has not yet been set. Villegas has a case management conference set for May 16th.