A coordinated law enforcement operation has led to the arrest of five individuals accused of using stolen information from electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to create counterfeit cards and illegally withdraw funds meant for low-income recipients in California. The Justice Department announced the arrests, which were part of a multi-agency effort.
Three defendants are being held without bond, while two others are expected to appear in United States District Court. On Sunday, approximately 70 officers monitored ATM locations throughout Los Angeles to identify those making multiple withdrawals with cloned cards containing stolen data from the California Department of Social Services (DSS). These benefits include CalFresh and CalWORKs, designed to assist qualified recipients.
Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally stated, "These defendants who are illegally in the United States targeted and stole from some of the poorest members of our community." He emphasized that this fraudulent activity undermines essential support for struggling families.
John Pasciucco, Acting Special Agent in Charge at HSI Los Angeles, commented on the operation's success against transnational criminal organizations: "HSI Los Angeles and our partners will work day and night to ensure that this help continues to be available to those who need it most."
Federal prosecutors have filed three criminal complaints against the defendants for using unauthorized access devices. They allegedly made unauthorized withdrawals totaling up to $25,480. The defendants named in these complaints include Marcel Musat, Ionut Calciu, Florian Serban, Wesley David Adrian Dimoua-Moua, and Hichem Mohamed El Mabrouk. Each faces charges related to possession and use of counterfeit EBT cards.
Court documents reveal DSS detected over $126.8 million stolen from victim EBT cards in 2024. This fraud targets programs intended for low-income beneficiaries' basic needs.
The investigation uncovered that fraudulent withdrawals involved cloned cards encoded with legitimate EBT card information. Some suspects possessed skimming devices used to capture victims' personal identification details.
The Homeland Security Investigation’s El Camino Real Task Force is leading the ongoing investigation with support from several agencies including HSI, U.S. Secret Service, LAPD, DSS, U.S. Marshals Service among others.
Assistant United States Attorneys Diane Roldán, Alexander H. Tran and Sophia Carrillo are prosecuting these cases.