Five men have been charged for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to steal nearly $1 million worth of food assistance benefits.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Five men have been charged for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to steal nearly $1 million worth of food assistance benefits. According to a release from the Department of Justice , the men allegedly tried to steal the benefits from low-income families and individuals in Ohio and California .
A federal grand jury returned an indictment for the following defendants and the DOJ said they are all citizens of Romania:The DOJ said all of the men are charged with the following:The men were arrested in a series of coordinated arrests throughout Ohio and California, and one man remains at large. According to the indictment, the conspiracy allegedly targeted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , which is intended to help low-income families and individuals purchase food. In Ohio, SNAP benefits are loaded onto an Electric Benefit Transfer cards that can be used to purchase food. According to court documents, the conspiracy also targeted retailers in California with a similar scheme. Through a form of financial fraud at the point of sale known as “POS skimming,” the men allegedly conspired to install devices onto legitimate card readers at retails to target EBT users who frequent at the retailers.The DOJ said the devices blend seamlessly with the payment terminals, and the victims most likely were not aware that their information was compromised. These devices are programmed with a software to capture payment and personal information from the magnetic stripe when EBT cards are swiped. To carry out the SNAP benefits theft in Ohio, the DOJ said the skimmers were mailed from California to several locations.Investigators also found skimmers at gas stations throughout Cleveland and Toledo, but did not state which ones.The DOJ said the defendants would then allegedly check car balances before draining the accounts and load the funds onto blank cards to re-sell to others. During a search warrant at one of the men’s residences in North Hills California, agents found a room that was a workshop to make the skimmers.If convicted, the men face a sentenced that will be determined by the court after a review of factors unique to the case, including prior criminal records if any, roles in the offense and characteristics of the violations.Body found wrapped in blankets near Canton creek identified as 46-year-old woman6-year-old boy shot at Joe E. Brown Park in Toledo FridayStudent dies after shooting herself in cafeteria of Valley Forge High School
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