Men accused of creating explosions to rob ATMs in 2 states

TAMPA, Fla. – Two men are facing federal charges in Florida for using small explosions to rob ATMs in the Tampa Bay area, authorities said Monday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa has charged Mawdo Malick Sallah, 33, of Clearwater, Florida, and Kirk Douglas Johnson, 34, of Anderson, South Carolina, with conspiring to commit arson. They each face up to 20 years in prison.

Sallah and Johnson took nearly $70,000 from several Florida ATMs between November and January and vandalized others without taking any cash, according to a criminal complaint. Investigators believe the men injected some type of flammable fuel into the machines and used a spark to ignite it. The men were arrested Sunday after setting off an explosion at an ATM in Watkinsville, Georgia, prosecutors said. That ATM was damaged, but Sallah and Johnson were unable to retrieve any cash, authorities said.

Online court records didn’t list attorneys for Sallah or Johnson.