Latvian convict involved in ATM heist deported

A Latvian man who was imprisoned in Taiwan for robbing several ATMs in 2016 has completed his prison sentence and was deported Monday evening, according to the National Immigration Agency (NIA).

Andrejs Peregudovs was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison and was due to be released in January, but because he could not pay a fine of NT$500,000 (US$18,004), the fine was commuted to labor service, delaying his release by 250 days.

Peregudovs is the last of three men convicted in the case to be released from prison. The other two — Nicolae Pencov of Moldova and Mihail Colibaba of Romania — were deported in September and November last year, after serving sentences of four years and six months and four years and eight months, respectively.

The high-profile ATM heist occurred between July 9-11, 2016, when members of an international crime ring withdrew NT$83.27 million (US$2.76 million at the exchange rate at the time) from dozens of First Bank ATMs in Taipei, New Taipei and Taichung after using malware to hack into the bank’s computing system.

The theft came to light when passersby in Taipei alerted police after seeing two members of the ring collecting large amounts of cash being dispensed by an ATM in the middle of the night.

While other members of the group left the country before being detained, Peregudovs, Colibaba and Pencov — who were tasked with taking the money out of Taiwan — were arrested on July 17, 2016 and sentenced to jail.

The other 19 suspects who fled the country have been put on a wanted list, according to prosecutors.

Police recovered more than NT$77 million of the stolen cash.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel