The Trump administration has been uncovering massive amounts of fraud in Democrat-run states and cities for months now.
And it seems like the deeper the administration digs, the more Democrat-enabled fraud that is uncovered – like another huge case the Justice Department revealed just last week.
The massive fraud scheme targeting one of America’s largest public assistance programs has come to an end after two men admitted their roles in stealing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.
Federal officials say the scheme didn’t just cost taxpayers money. It also left some of the country’s most vulnerable families without benefits they depended on to buy food.
Two Romanian brothers who were living in the United States illegally pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to orchestrating a fraud scheme that stole more than $760,000 from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP.
Marian Ovidiu Dumitru, 37, and Catalin Dumitru, 39, each pleaded guilty to wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to the Department of Justice, the brothers were members of an identity theft ring that targeted SNAP recipients in New Jersey, Massachusetts and several other states between July 2024 and August 2025.
Investigators said the group installed skimming devices at ATMs, fuel pumps and other locations to steal information from electronic benefit transfer cards used by SNAP recipients.
Authorities said the stolen account information was then loaded onto counterfeit bank cards, gift cards and other access devices that allowed the defendants to make fraudulent purchases.
Federal prosecutors said the brothers used the cloned cards at warehouse clubs in North Carolina to buy thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise, including coffee, candy, energy drinks, and baby formula.
According to court records, the pair purchased more than $15,600 worth of goods at a warehouse club in Gastonia using counterfeit cards tied to stolen SNAP accounts from Massachusetts and New Jersey.
They also spent more than $19,000 at another warehouse club in Pineville using the same method.
Investigators said the merchandise was then transported and resold for profit.
The Justice Department said the scheme victimized more than 10 SNAP recipients, leaving some with significant financial hardship after their food assistance benefits were stolen.
When authorities searched the defendants, investigators also found them in possession of at least 15 counterfeit bank cards encoded with stolen SNAP account information, along with blank magnetic-strip cards that could be used to create additional counterfeit cards.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald said the department intends to aggressively prosecute anyone who steals from public assistance programs.
“The Fraud Division will not tolerate anyone who steals from public benefits programs designed to support Americans in need,” McDonald said.
“If you attempt to defraud these programs, we will come after you with the full force of federal law. We are committed to safeguarding America’s tax dollars and the programs they are meant to support.”
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said the defendants specifically targeted some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.
“These individuals came to the United States illegally and preyed on some of our most vulnerable citizens—those receiving SNAP benefits,” Ferguson said.
“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.”
Each brother faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and several state and local law enforcement agencies, a Department of Justice press release said.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina as part of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, which was established in April as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to combat fraud, waste, and abuse in federal benefit programs.
