Two Romanian nationals in the United States illegally pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in a food stamp fraud plot.
Catalin Dumitru, 39, and Marian Ovidiu Dumitru, 37, were part of an “identity theft ring” that cut across multiple states. From summer of 2024 until last August, the duo and others “used skimming devices” to steal SNAP benefit information to then buy high dollar amounts of items in bulk, and “then transported, resold, or intended to resell the items,” according to the Department of Justice.
“These individuals came to the United States illegally and preyed on some of our most vulnerable citizens—those receiving SNAP benefits,” U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said in a statement.
“They stole benefits from those who actually need them and then resold products bought with those benefits for their own profit. We will use the full force of the federal government to hold accountable those who exploit taxpayer funded programs and victimize citizens on government assistance,” Ferguson added.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said in a statement that “the Fraud Division will not tolerate anyone who steals from public benefits programs designed to support Americans in need.”
The fraud totaled to over $760,000, and resulted in “substantial hardship” for multiple of the more than 10 victims. The pair could each face up to 20 years behind bars.
The announcement comes as the United States Department of Agriculture has made it a primary goal of the Trump administration to crack down on SNAP fraud. The DOJ recently announced a lawsuit against four states for not providing SNAP information to the USDA for verification.
“USDA has worked constructively with the majority of States to ensure criminals, fraudulent activity, and other waste, no longer plague a program meant to serve the most vulnerable households and communities among us,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement last Friday.
“Today, I asked the Acting Attorney General to compel Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Michigan to comply with federal law. If a State misguidedly stands between the federal government and the information needed to protect the generosity of the American taxpayer, the Trump Administration will take them to court,” Rollins added.