Romanian Gang in California Skimmed EBT Cards to Trade Baby Formula with Mexican Cartels

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Orange County, California authorities arrested 48 alleged members of a Romanian crime ring who allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from low-income Californians by skimming their state benefit cards.

The suspects are accused of installing skimming devices in stores and using them to swipe the information off of EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards, which low-income families use to buy food and baby formula.

Once they have the information, they bleed the cards dry, buying baby formula which they then bring down to Mexico - where formula is in short supply - and engage in trade with drug cartels.

The victims may not realize they have lost all their benefits until they are at the checkout, trying to buy groceries for their families.

"These are not victimless crimes," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "The victims are single mothers struggling to put a roof over their children's heads and food on the table and hardworking people who need a helping hand who find themselves standing at the checkout line with bags full of groceries only to be humiliated when they find that they have no money in their account because a thief has surreptitiously taken everything."

One such victim is Marina Sorensen, who said her EBT card was hacked last fall and she was forced to go nearly two months without any assistance.

“I didn’t know what to do, I went hungry for two months,” she said.

The state of California lost some $108 million in CalWORKS benefits last year from such skimming operations. The suspects are from Romania and many of them entered the country illegally, Spitzer said.

Skimming Scam

Members of the group would install card skimming devices at checkout stands, ATMs, and gas pumps across the area to steal EBT card information meant to provide help to low-income Californians.

The suspects would then use the illegally obtained cash to fund their lavish lifestyles, including the purchase of luxury cars, according to the D.A.’s Office.

One man in Cypress who was arrested by Orange County investigators was found to have $30,000 in cash and 60 cloned EBT cards with stolen card numbers and PINs. A suspect in Brea had $27,000 cash and 42 cloned cards.

During a search in Seal Beach, investigators uncovered more than 200 cloned cards and $14,000 stuffed in a suspect’s glove box. That suspect made repeated trips to a convenience store ATM to make illegal withdrawals, officials said.

Florin Duduianu

Duduianu Clan

Among those arrested. in August 2023, was Florin Duduianu, 39, one of Romania's most wanted criminals, and described as the leader of the group, according to officials. In Romania, he is accused of blackmail, robbery, and qualified robbery, in a case where the victims were singers including Florin Salam. He had been on the run since 2020, first to the UK, then moving to Mexico and eventually Los Angeles.

He also had met with the police chief to arrange Emi Pian's funeral. Florin, also known as Anaser Duduianu, became the leader of the Duduianu clan after the stabbing death of Emi Pian following an altercation at a gambling den.

Duduianu has since been indicted by a federal grand jury for fraudulently accessing government assistance funds.

Some of the suspects were seen in social media posts flaunting luxury cars and Rolex watches, and even bragging in Romanian: "Don't love what isn't yours, you can make it yours."

Spitzer along with law enforcement officials are now calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to implement chip technology for EBT cards, similar to when California issued the Middle Class Tax Refund via chipped debit cards in October 2022.

Authorities said the chip technology would make it more difficult for thieves to clone the EBT cards and illicitly withdraw funds.

Sources ABC7, ABC7, Mediaflux, KTLA