Suspect in Cañon City ATM theft allegedly stole from six other states

By Cleo Westin August 7, 2025 | updated 9 months ago

Joel Morantes-Leal is shown allegedly stealing from an ATM in Salem, Ore., in April, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Courtesy of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of California

A Venezuelan suspected of being in the U.S. illegally is accused of stealing around $68,000 from a Cañon City ATM in May by infecting it with malware that caused the machine to dispense money without a transaction, according to city police and federal prosecutors.

In July, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California announced that a grand jury indicted Joel Morantes-Leal, 25, and an alleged co-conspirator on charges of stealing “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from over 30 ATMs in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska, Utah and Washington.

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Joel Alejandro Morantes-Leal gif — A GIF sent from an unidentified individual to Joel Alejandro Morantes-Leal’s alleged co-conspirator around the day of the Cañon City ATM theft in May 2025.

Courtesy of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California

A GIF sent from an unidentified individual to Joel Alejandro Morantes-Leal’s alleged co-conspirator around the day of the Cañon City ATM theft in May 2025.

Courtesy of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California

Morantes-Leal was taken into custody in late May in the Denver area, according to a Thursday news release from Cañon City police.

He faces charges of third-degree burglary and cybercrime in Cañon City. He also faces federal charges of conspiracy to steal cash from ATMs, bank robbery, accessing a protected computer in furtherance of fraud and attempting to access a protected computer in furtherance of fraud. Federal court documents state that he pleaded not guilty in an Eastern California U.S. District Court in July.

Cañon City police’s news release said the case “rapidly expanded” and involved numerous agencies from various jurisdictions. The agencies were not specified because other investigations are still ongoing.

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Joel Morantes-Leal taking money — Joel Morantes-Leal is allegedly pictured sitting in the back seat taking money out of an ATM in Los Banos, Calif., in April, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Courtesy of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of California

Joel Morantes-Leal is allegedly pictured sitting in the back seat taking money out of an ATM in Los Banos, Calif., in April, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Courtesy of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of California

The U.S. attorney’s office stated in its release that its investigation was conducted by the FBI, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and the Eugene Police Department in Oregon.