SAN DIEGO – More than 50 defendants have been charged in a yearslong crackdown on organized theft rings – many with ties to Romania – that steal millions of dollars in public assistance benefits from low-income families who depend on those funds for food, housing, and other necessities.
The cases are part of an ongoing enforcement effort in the Southern District of California targeting crews that allegedly exploit the government’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system. Investigators say members of these rings often descend on ATMs, often in the pre-dawn hours almost immediately after the funds are dispersed by the state, rapidly draining funds from compromised accounts and leaving vulnerable victims without the benefits they rely on to survive.
“These criminals target people living one paycheck away from crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “Exploiting that vulnerability is as cruel as it is criminal.”
“These charges underscore the serious consequences faced by individuals who exploit federal programs for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Robb R. Breeden of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This scheme diverted valuable taxpayer funds from programs designed to support people most in need. Working closely with our law enforcement partners, HHS‑OIG will continue to pursue those who target the vulnerable and compromise public trust in government assistance programs.”
“The U.S. Secret Service and our partners on the Southern California Cyber Fraud Task Force are committed to combatting EBT fraud and credit card skimming,” said Andre Remy, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s San Diego Field Office. “This years-long investigation is a testament to the hard work and tireless dedication of law enforcement to actively investigate and arrest criminals that target our most vulnerable community members.”
Four of the most recent defendants appeared in federal court last week to face charges that they each stole public assistance benefits from low-income families that need the funds to pay for food, housing, and other necessities.
The four defendants are Razvan Balu, Juan Trandafir, Hassib Baraekzay, and Veronica Ochoa. Balu and Trandafir, both Romanian, are respectively accused of stealing $160,000 and $145,250 from victims’ CalWORKS benefit accounts. CalWORKS administers grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that are designed to help families remain housed. Baraekzay and Ochoa, who are U.S. citizens, are each charged with stealing more than $20,000 of CalWORKS benefits.
Last week’s arrests bring the total number of people charged with stealing CalWORKS benefits by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego to 52 since 2023. These federal arrests are the work of the U.S. Secret Service’s Southern California Cyber Fraud Task Force (SoCal CFTF).
The defendants sentenced so far in this crackdown are collectively responsible for stealing at least $4 million from the EBT accounts of hundreds of California victims, including scores of San Diego County residents. Please see chart below for status of all cases charged.
EBT theft has significantly impacted California, with substantial losses reported in recent years. Between June 2022 and January 2026, more than $310 million was stolen from EBT beneficiaries in California, primarily through unauthorized ATM withdrawals.
Balu was arrested March 1 in Los Angeles County for Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud during a SoCal CFTF operation targeting EBT card skimming fraud at ATMs, while Baraekzay and Ochoa were arrested in San Diego County on March 2 and 3.
According to the complaint charging Balu, between January 1, 2026, and March 1, 2026, Balu used the public assistance account information of approximately 210 victims who live in San Diego, Fresno, Los Angeles, Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties. He used this account information to make unauthorized withdrawals at Los Angeles County ATMs in which he accessed, attempted to steal, and stole from the victims’ public assistance benefit accounts.
During this period, Balu attempted to withdraw $196,650 and successfully withdrew $159,990 from the victims’ accounts.
EBT is a card-based system used to distribute government assistance benefits like CalFresh (food assistance) and CalWORKs (cash aid). It works like a debit card, allowing recipients to purchase food and withdraw cash at participating retailers and ATMs.
According to charging documents, the U.S. Secret Service has gathered evidence indicating members of what appear to be one or more criminal enterprises are stealing California EBT account information by installing skimmers on point-of-sale terminals and inside ATMs, often in communities with higher concentrations of public benefit recipients. The skimmed data is then often re-encoded onto the magnetic strips of cards that members of the conspiracy use to make unauthorized withdrawals and purchases.
These re-encoded cards are sometimes referred to as “cloned” cards. Cloned cards can be a blank white plastic card, or another debit, credit, or gift card. Cloned cards may have names or numbers embossed on the physical face of the card. A common feature of cloned cards is that the account number encoded on the card’s magnetic strip will not match the number embossed on the card’s face. To facilitate the use of the stolen EBT benefits, members of the scheme will commonly put stickers bearing the account’s PIN on the physical cards, or access devices, that are swiped at a point-of-sale terminal, along with the account balance.
Once in possession of the cloned cards, account PIN, and anticipated balance, the thieves will go to ATMs, often in the pre-dawn hours, to drain those benefits before the rightful recipients can access them.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sabrina Fève.
If you or someone you know has had EBT benefits stolen, San Diego County’s Department of Health & Human Services Agency requires that the theft be reported within 10 days. More information for San Diego County victims is available at:
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/ssp/ebt_fraud.html .
DEFENDANT Case Number 24MJ1234
Razvan Balu 35 Drobeta Turnu Severin City, Romania
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud – Title 18, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1029(b)(2), 1029(a)(2), 1029(a)(4), and (c)(1)(A)
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine, or twice the pecuniary gain or loss
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
U.S. Secret Service’s Southern California Cyber Fraud Task Force
San Diego District Attorney’s Office
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General
California Department of Social Services
San Diego Police Department
San Diego Sheriff’s Department
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General
Homeland Security Investigations
Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office
United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
LAST NAME FIRST NAME Court Case #
Date of Arrest
Disposition
Restitution Ordered
MIHAI BEATRICE 23CR0794
3/17/2023
16 months
$305,274.52
GROSU RADU 23CR1164
6/3/2023
10 months
$25,700.00
CALIN RICHARD 23CR1165
6/3/2023
18 months
$95,304.06
IONITA GABRIEL 23CR1165
6/3/2023
18 months
$21,510.00
IRIMIA CONSTANTIN 23CR1300
6/1/2023
18 months
$139,780.00
PIPKINS DEVONTE 23CR1303
6/2/2023
11 months
$17,030.00
TROFIN TUDOR 23CR1655
7/18/2023
21 months
$186,450.00
CICA FLORIAN 24CR0229
7/14/2023
State Custody TX
IORDACHE GABRIEL 24CR0229
1/24/2024
20 months
$446,535.87
UDRICA ROBERT 24CR0229
1/29/2024
33 months
$446,535.87
UDRICA GABRIEL 24CR0229
1/29/2024
20 months
$446,535.87
PUICUTA MIHAELA 24CR0229
Fugitive
BUDA IOAN 24CR0510
2/12/2024
6 months
$13,360.00
IONITA VASILE 24CR0819
4/1/2024
6 months
$5,730.00
GEANGASU ANDREI 24CR0819
4/1/2024
6 months
$5,730.00
UNGURU DUCILA DUMITRU 24CR0822
4/2/2024
12 months + 1 day
$32,290.00
CALIN ROBERTO 24CR0822
4/2/2024
6 months
$1,140.00
DOGARU MARIAN 24CR0823
4/1/2024
30 months
$182,530.00
GASPAR RAZVAN 24CR0878
4/2/2024
10 months
$12,860.00
CRACIUN CATALIN 24CR0967
4/16/2024
30 months
$223,240.00
PETRACHE NICUSOR 24CR1610
6/29/2024
14 months
$37,640.00
BUCUR AURELIAN 24CR2116
8/21/2024
8 months
$37,320.00
UNGURU DUCILA MARINELA 25CR1815
4/30/2024
18 months
$22,710.00
TRANDAFIR JUAN 24MJ1736
3/3/2026
Pending removal to SDCA
ARTENI ANDREI 24CR2103
9/5/2024
24 months
$483,650.00
ARTENI ALIN 25CR2872
6/23/2025
24 months
$483,650.00
FUMEA SANDU 24CR1877
8/13/2024
14 months
$47,060.00
BALAZS ALIN 24CR2047
9/9/2024
24 months
$154,260.00
IGNAT IONUT 24CR2009
8/28/2024
14 months
$30,060.00
STOICA ROBERT 24CR2194
9/23/2024
15 months
$88,040.00
STEFAN MIHAI 24MJ3480
fugitive
MIHAILESCU DORIN 24CR2485
10/8/2024
37 months
$397,265.00
ARDELIANU VASILE 25CR4656
10/29/2026
Motion Hearing/Trial Setting set for 03/20/2026
PARASCHIV CARMEN 25CR4656
10/29/2026
Motion Hearing/Trial Setting set for 03/20/2026
IONITA NICOLAE 25CR1476
3/31/2025
16 months
$152,240.00
CHIVEA ALBERTO 25CR2983
7/2/2025
7 months
$199,100.00
YORDANOV YORDAN 25CR0126
12/4/2024
14 months
$41,660.00
Chaabani Chaima 24CR2713
9/24/2024
Sentencing set for 4/13/2026
Stoica Florin 25CR1148
3/4/2025
13 months
$46,160.00
Virtan Remus Cristian 25CR0926
3/4/2025
14 months
$72,597.00
Nazaire
Devon 25CR03054
5/29/2025
Sentencing set for 3/20/2026
Pavelescu Cristian 25MJ2246
Fugitive
Frumosu Aurelian 25MJ2246
State Custody CA
Mares Petre Daniel 25CR2002
5/2/2025
Sentencing set for 4/14/2026
Moldovan Marius Liviu 25CR3822
5/5/2025
10 months
$41,460.00
Moisei Adrian Florin 25CR3061
7/11/2025
24 months
$142,240.00
Oprea Viorel 26MJ0156
2/10/2026
Preliminary Hearings 3/10/2026
Buleandra Florin 26MJ0156
2/10/2026
Preliminary Hearings 3/10/2026
Mica AlexandruIonut 26MJ0156
2/10/2026
Preliminary Hearings 3/10/2026
Balu Razvan Alezandru 26MJ1127
Pending removal to SDCA
Baraekzay Hassib 26MJ1140
3/2/2026
Preliminary Hearing 3/17/26
Ochoa Veronica 26MJ1184
Preliminary Hearing 3/19/2026
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Southern District of California — U.S. Department of Justice press release.