PORTLAND, Ore. — Seventeen individuals have been charged with conspiring to defraud the U.S. government of more than $2.4 million through fraudulent purchases using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon on Thursday.
The individuals arrested include:
- Ramirez Dumitru, 25
- Giovanni Spirea, 28
- Santa-Madalina Costache, 25
- Florin Mareata, 25
- Anita Vaduva, 36
- Ion Paul Miclescu, 19
- Nicolas Barbosu, 25
- Alberto Tomescu, 27
- Oana Aura Cristina Caldararu, 23
- Roberta Elena Sardaru, 27
- Salvis Foro Dunca, 26
- Ana Patricia Escalante, 57
- Jessica Gonzalez, 27
- Edwin Lionel Santizo-Ralon, 54
- Cristina Yesenia Escalante, 33
- Edgar Basilio Hernandez, 33
- Marta Hernandez de Estrada, 53
“This group targeted a program that ensures access to healthy and affordable groceries for low-income and food insecure individuals and families,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “We thank all our partners for their commitment to protecting the integrity of vital public programs like SNAP.”
According to court documents, from August 2023 to October 2024, Dumitru and his associates allegedly orchestrated a scheme that involved using skimming devices and stolen Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) accounts to illegally siphon off SNAP benefits for unauthorized purchases.
Dumitru reportedly supplied key information to group members, enabling them to use stolen EBT accounts to purchase large quantities of items such as infant formula and energy drinks from grocery stores across Oregon, Washington, and California, as well as from online platforms offering curbside pickup.
Throughout the operation, the conspirators allegedly acquired over 120,000 pounds of goods, which were stored at various residential properties and storage units in Oregon and Washington. The items were subsequently packaged and transported to California using personal vehicles or commercial carriers.
With over $2.4 million in SNAP benefits allegedly misappropriated to buy these goods, court filings suggest that the products were sold on the black market, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.