SAN DIEGO — A Romanian national appeared in Los Angeles federal court Sept. 6 to face charges of conspiring to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in public-assistance benefits from low-income families who used the funds to pay for food, housing and other necessities.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Tara McGrath made the announcement.
“Homeland Security Investigations is dedicated to working with our foreign law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle transnational fraud groups who victimize U.S. banking institutions and government programs for their financial benefit,” said Wang. “This case is an example of how HSI will go to great lengths to bring those who perpetrate these crimes to justice.”
“Stealing public assistance funds from those who need it most takes greed to a new depth,” McGrath. “With this case, we are enforcing laws designed to protect the security of electronic payment devices and ensure public confidence in everyday transactions.”
“EBT fraud is especially devastating as it targets our most vulnerable community members and can cause extreme financial hardship,” said U.S. Secret Service San Diego Special Agent in Charge Jason Reynolds. “The U.S. Secret Service and our partners remain committed to investigating these crimes so that those receiving these benefits do not have to worry about their benefits being stolen.”
Andrei Bogdan Arteni of Romania was arrested in Santa Ana Sept. 5 and charged in the Southern District of California. He was ordered detained and will appear in federal court in San Diego for his next hearing.
Arteni was charged in connection with the thefts resulting in losses exceeding $580,000. According to the complaint, between October 2023 and March 2024, he and co-conspirators installed skimming devices at point-of-sale terminals in grocery stores and large-volume retailers in communities with higher concentrations of public benefit recipients. The data skimmed from government-issued benefit cards, known as EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards, was then re-encoded onto the magnetic strips of fraudulent cards that they used to make tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized ATM withdrawals over the course of several months.
Also Sept. 5, authorities served court-authorized search warrants at two storage units in National City and Newport Beach, and Romanian authorities served warrants on 10 residences across Romania. U.S. authorities seized two properties in the cities of Iasi and Podu Iloaiei, along with more than $190,000 and €200,000 cash.
According to court documents, Arteni and his co-conspirators used false identities to rent out an Airbnb, a storage unit in Newport Beach and a storage unit in National City. The storage unit in Newport Beach stored several household appliances with cash concealed inside — some of which were shipped to Romania.
According to the complaint, the brothers were linked to the crimes through surveillance photos at ATMs in San Diego County where they made fraudulent withdrawals. Victims are located throughout Southern California, including San Diego, Los Angeles and Riverside.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald Sou and David Kete. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the National City Police Department and Romanian authorities, including the Romania Public Ministry Prosecutor’s Office of DIICOT – Galati Territorial Service, Galati and Iasi Police-Organized Crime Brigades.
Charges are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If you or someone you know has had your EBT benefits stolen, San Diego County’s Department of Health and Human Services Agency requires that the theft be reported within 10 days. More information for San Diego County victims is available at SanDiegoCounty.gov.
If you see something unusual, say something. Please contact the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP.
Learn more about HSI Los Angeles’ mission on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSILosAngeles.