Ronaldo Jose Pena, a 47-year-old man from Bronx, New York, was sentenced Monday to 57 months in prison for stealing over $800,000 from gaming parlors across
Pennsylvania and Virginia.
According to the court, between April 2022 and March 2023, Pena and unnamed co-defendants from the New York City area broke into more than 40 establishments and stole over $800,000 in cash from skilled gaming cash machines. Pena and his accomplices then returned to New York with the stolen money.
In February, Pena pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of interstate transportation of stolen money and conspiracy to transport stolen money in interstate commerce. In a plea agreement, he agreed that he and his conspirators caused losses of at least $550,000. Under federal sentencing guidelines, the law provides for a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both for these offenses.
U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence.
The prosecution, overseen by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan T. Conway, was a joint investigation by the US Secret Service, US Postal Inspection Service, and VA and PA police departments.
