E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California
Three individuals from Europe have pleaded guilty to federal charges in Los Angeles related to the fraudulent withdrawal of benefits intended for low-income individuals. The defendants, Ionut Calciu, Florian Serban, and Mohamed Hichem El Mabrouk, admitted to using information from skimmed electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to create counterfeit cards and withdraw funds disbursed by the State of California.
Each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized use of access devices, a felony that could result in a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. The three men have been in custody since their arrest on February 2 during a multi-agency operation targeting EBT fund thefts.
The operation involved approximately 70 law enforcement officers monitoring ATM locations across Los Angeles to identify individuals making multiple cash withdrawals with fraudulently encoded cards. These cards contained information stolen from legitimate EBT beneficiaries' accounts managed by the California Department of Social Services (DSS).
Calciu confessed to withdrawing at least $31,000 without authorization from EBT bank accounts on February 2. His sentencing is scheduled for August 29 before United States District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela. Serban acted as Calciu's driver and lookout during these illegal activities and will also be sentenced on August 29.
El Mabrouk withdrew $25,480 on February 1 and an additional $2,420 the following day using illegally encoded EBT cards. He possessed at least 32 such cards along with a co-conspirator. His sentencing is set for September 5 before United States District Judge Michelle Williams Court.
Court documents reveal that more than $126.8 million was stolen from victim EBT cards in 2024 alone. This fraud primarily targets CalWORKs and CalFresh programs aimed at assisting low-income individuals with food purchases and basic needs.
Investigations indicate that fraudulent withdrawals are conducted using cloned debit or gift cards encoded with legitimate EBT card information. Some perpetrators are believed to possess skimming devices used to capture personal identification data from victims.
The Homeland Security Investigations’ El Camino Real Task Force is leading the investigation alongside several other law enforcement agencies including the Los Angeles Police Department, United States Secret Service, California Department of Social Services, and others.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Yervant P. Hagopian is prosecuting Calciu and Serban while Special Assistant United States Attorney Robert Quealy is handling El Mabrouk's case.
