Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
A Romanian national, Marius Marian, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to a scheme that defrauded the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system of more than $500,000. The plea also included counts of illegal reentry into the United States after an aggravated felony conviction and making false statements on an asylum application.
Marian, 39, was charged on July 23, 2025, with bank fraud, illegal re-entry following an aggravated felony conviction, and asylum fraud. He admitted guilt to all three charges.
According to court documents and Marian’s admissions in court, between March 2, 2024 and June 3, 2025 he used skimming devices on ATMs and point-of-sale machines to collect EBT account information from over 601 victims. EBT benefits are federal funds distributed by the California Department of Social Services for individuals in need across California. After capturing account data with skimmers, Marian encoded this information onto counterfeit bank cards and withdrew cash from ATMs throughout Northern California.
The fraudulent activity resulted in Marian withdrawing $507,916 in cash from victim accounts. He intended to withdraw a total of $611,845 using these methods. His actions involved sophisticated techniques and caused significant financial hardship for at least 25 people.
Marian also admitted that on or about April 27, 2023 he submitted false statements as part of his asylum application to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Specifically, he failed to disclose both his previous deportation from the United States and a prior bank fraud conviction in 2019.
He further acknowledged being previously deported after his earlier conviction for bank fraud before illegally reentering the country.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian stated: “United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), San Francisco Field Office, Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Diamond, Special Agent-in-Charge Shawn Dionida, U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG), and ICE Field Office Director Sergio Albarran made the announcement.”
Marian remains in federal custody pending sentencing scheduled for October 20, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin. He faces up to thirty years in prison and a $1 million fine for bank fraud; ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for illegal reentry; and twenty years plus a $250,000 fine for asylum fraud violations under federal statutes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily R. Dahlke is prosecuting the case with assistance from Alycee Lane and Amala James following an investigation led by the FBI along with DSS, USDA OIG and ICE.
