More than 50 Charged in Thefts of Millions of Dollars in California Benefits for Low-Income Families

SAN DIEGO – More than 50 defendants have been charged in a yearslong crackdown on organized theft rings – many with ties to Romania – that steal millions of dollars in public assistance benefits from low-income families who depend on those funds for food, housing, and other necessities. The cases are part of an ongoing enforcement effort in the Southern District of California targeting crews that allegedly exploit the government’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system. Investigators say members of these rings often descend on ATMs, often in the pre-dawn hours almost immediately after the funds are dispersed by the state, rapidly draining funds from compromised accounts and leaving vulnerable victims without the benefits they rely on to survive.

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