Romanian National Gets Over 3 Years in U.S. Prison for Food Benefits Skimming Fraud
A Romanian citizen without legal U.S. residence received a federal prison sentence exceeding three years for participating in a scheme that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SNAP program through card-skimming devices.
Romanian National Gets Over 3 Years in U.S. Prison for Food Benefits Skimming Fraud
A 29-year-old man from Romania, present unlawfully on American soil, will spend more than three years behind bars after a federal court handed down a 39-month sentence for his part in a widespread operation targeting the country's food assistance system. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Maryland announced the ruling, which also included an order to repay roughly $344,000 in losses, as detailed by Jurnalul.ro.
The defendant was convicted of plotting to carry out electronic fraud along with aggravated identity theft. Beyond incarceration and restitution, officials confiscated nearly $92,000 from him.
Prosecutors say that beginning in 2022, the man worked with associates to harvest data from EBT cards — the plastic used by low-income Americans to access SNAP benefits. The crew attached skimming hardware to checkout terminals at retail locations, capturing card details. They later reproduced the cards and went on shopping sprees charged to unsuspecting recipients.
The fraudulent enterprise stretched across numerous states: Maryland, California, Kentucky, Tennessee, and New York. Court filings reveal that in late 2022, the convict opened a premium retail membership at an Ohio Sam's Club location using banking credentials tied to a fabricated identity.
Through that membership, from mid-2022 through mid-2023, the group ran transactions on about 168 distinct EBT cards, racking up over $175,000 in merchandise. Victims in Maryland accounted for more than $12,000 of those unauthorized charges.
A parallel probe uncovered a second Sam's Club account, also linked to the same phone number the Romanian used but registered under a different alias. Purchases there topped $46,000, funded by 29 stolen benefit cards.
Investigators further traced a BJ's Wholesale membership opened with yet another bogus name — this time listing the offender's actual residence. That account facilitated over $107,500 in buying activity across roughly 179 compromised cards tied to 57 different individuals. The man himself was spotted taking part in large-volume purchases with the duplicated plastics.
The harm to program participants was tangible. Federal officials noted that at least 15 beneficiaries saw their accounts drained, leaving them without grocery money until the next monthly deposit arrived.
The prosecution is not isolated. Another male defendant with both Romanian and Irish passports previously drew a two-year sentence, while a female co-defendant from Romania was ordered to serve 28 months for her involvement in the same criminal network.
The matter arrives amid a broader crackdown by the American Justice Department on scams against public benefit programs. In April, authorities launched a dedicated national unit focused on pursuing those who siphon taxpayer-funded social welfare resources.
Source: Jurnalul.ro