BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Kern County Superior Court judge has accepted a no-contest plea from Alberto Ionel Baran in a sweeping Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) fraud case involving over $121,000 in stolen welfare benefits.
On May 5, 2025, Baran pleaded no contest to a series of felony and misdemeanor charges, including grand theft, fraudulent use of access cards, forgery, money laundering, identity theft, conspiracy, and possession of fraudulent scanning devices. He also admitted to enhancements involving large-scale financial loss and sophisticated planning.
Although the charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years and 8 months, the judge indicated a preliminary sentence of two years. The District Attorney’s Office, however, has expressed strong objections to the leniency of this sentence and plans to argue for a harsher penalty during the upcoming sentencing hearing on June 3, 2025.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer stated, “Baran’s crimes affected some of the most vulnerable people in Kern County, those who rely on welfare assistance to feed their families. A two-year indicated sentence fails to reflect the severity and widespread impact of these offenses.”
Baran was found to have visited Kern County six times between September 1 and November 1, 2024, during which he used illegal skimming devices to access EBT benefits. Investigators discovered 175 fraudulent EBT cards in his possession, holding a total of $121,511 in benefits from programs like CalFresh and CalWORKs.
Authorities continue to search for Baran’s co-defendants, Fernando Stanciu and Mari Mar Mirica, who are still wanted in connection with the case.
