Federal and local law enforcement agencies arrested nine individuals — including eight Romanian nationals and one Mexican national unlawfully present in the U.S. — during a large-scale operation targeting electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card fraud at high-traffic ATM locations across Los Angeles on May 1 and 2.
The enforcement action was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in coordination with the U.S. Secret Service, the Los Angeles Police Department, and other partner agencies. Officials seized around 100 counterfeit EBT cards and arrested nine suspects on federal fraud charges under 18 U.S.C. 1029, which addresses access device fraud.
“This operation underscores ICE Homeland Security Investigations’ unwavering commitment — alongside our law enforcement partners — to defend public assistance programs from exploitation,” said acting HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco. “We will not stand by while criminals prey on the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
Authorities said Romanian criminal groups have long targeted EBT cash fund accounts at the start of each month to exploit newly loaded benefits. These schemes typically involve card skimming, where suspects steal card data and re-encode it onto blank magnetic stripe cards to make unauthorized withdrawals.
Among those arrested was one U.S. citizen. The foreign nationals will be transferred to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations custody following the completion of federal criminal proceedings and may face removal from the United States.
Ongoing effort disrupts transnational fraud operations
The operation was conducted by ICE HSI’s El Camino Real Task Force, which includes special agents from ICE HSI, the U.S. Secret Service, and officers from the LAPD. The task force is also investigating links to international criminal organizations suspected of orchestrating similar scams in other U.S. cities.
The May enforcement follows similar operations in February, March, and April, which together led to 32 federal arrests, including 27 foreign nationals. ICE officials say the coordinated crackdowns are part of a broader strategy to dismantle transnational criminal networks that exploit U.S. benefit systems.
“Criminals who exploit government programs and steal from the American people will be aggressively pursued,” Pasciucco said.
ICE continues to prioritize identity and benefit fraud through its Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces, targeting schemes that originate both domestically and abroad.