A sting operation in Los Angeles has resulted in 15 arrests of people who stole benefits from those in need.
This week, “Operation Urban Justice” targeted those who cloned EBT cards and used the information to withdraw deposited funds. The suspects, many of whom are Romanian nationals, would go after benefits distributed through CalWORKs and CalFresh, California’s welfare and food assistance programs.
The cloned cards were created with magnetic strips encoded with information from legitimate EBT cards. Officers observed several fraudsters visiting 20 ATMs around Los Angeles and making illegitimate withdrawals. In some instances, skimming devices were installed on the machines to help carry out the theft. In all, over $38.9 million was snatched from the cards.
United States Attorney Martin Estrada slammed the thieves for targeting some of the area’s “poorest residents” who depend on these monthly benefits to survive.
The Los Angeles Police Department began its investigation in August 2022 after reports of stolen benefits surfaced. Realizing the full scale of the theft, the United States Secret Service soon joined “Operation Urban Justice,” as well as the Romanian Brigade for Combatting Criminal Organizations and other law enforcement organizations. During the investigation, officials located 429 cloned cards, all of which were confirmed to be encoded with state-issued EBT information. About $129,000 in U.S. currency was also found.
All of the defendants have been hit with multiple charges, including bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unlawful use of unauthorized access devices.
