Illegal Alien Sentenced for Role in Snap Benefits Fraud Conspiracy

Baltimore, Maryland - An illegal alien, who is a citizen of Romania and Ireland, received a federal prison term today for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Fabritio Sardaru, 22, to two years in prison for his role in a Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits fraud conspiracy.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG) Northeast Region; Chief Marc R. Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD); and Chief Gregory Der, Howard County Police Department (HCPD).

According to his plea agreement, Sardaru participated in a conspiracy to defraud the United States and multiple recipients of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) benefits. In 2022, Sardaru and his co-conspirators obtained EBT information from victims throughout the U.S., including in Maryland, California, Kentucky, Tennessee, New York, and other states. They used skimming devices and other means to carry out the conspiracy.

The co-conspirators played various roles in skimming operations, including acquiring skimming equipment, shipping equipment to co-conspirators, and installing or removing the equipment at the point of sale (POS) terminals at various commercial establishments. They also monitored the activity at POSs where skimming equipment was installed and duplicated victims' EBT cards using the information collected from the skimming devices. Co-conspirators then fraudulently purchased large bulk items using cloned EBT cards containing numerous victims' personal identifying information.

On July 21, 2022, in furtherance of the scheme, Sardaru fraudulently obtained $8,770.03 in proceeds. Sardaru and a co-conspirator used cloned EBT cards to purchase 11 cans of baby formula at grocery stores in Howard and Montgomery Counties. Then on the same day, MCPD officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle Sardaru was driving. During the traffic stop, law enforcement uncovered approximately 353 cans of baby formula.

Due to the loss of their SNAP benefits, at least 15 victims were unable to obtain food items until after the replenishment of their funds the following month. The total loss attributed to the conspiracy in Maryland is approximately $343,756.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the USDA-OIG, MCPD, and HCPD for their work in the investigation, along with the Maryland Department of Human Services, Office of Inspector General, for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Higgins who prosecuted the case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-mdLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

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