EBT card cloning in Kern County on the rise as Romanian gangs hit ATMs nationwide
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — EBT card cloning has been a major problem for years and more than $6.8 million in benefits were stolen 2024 alone in Kern County. Only $15 thousand were recovered.
In the county, 19,374 people receive benefits from the CalWORKs program, better known as cash aid, and 69,447 get CalFresh, better known as Food Stamps.
Combined, there are 88,821 recipients, but that may include some who receive benefits from both.
In 2024 alone the Department of Human Services received 10,039 reports of stolen benefits.That added up to $6,832,990 dollars in stolen benefits.
Woman arrested after taking down US flag, raising Mexican flag at Hart Park: Kern County Sheriff's Office
The thefts come as the United States is flooded with reports of organized Romanian gangs hitting ATM's from coast to coast.
Human Services reported receiving about 22,000 reports of stolen benefits in 2023 and 2024.But the District Attorney's office says it is prosecuting only two cases of that 22-thousand.
One of those is the case of 22-year-old Fernando Stantu, a Romanian allegedly busted with that $15,702, 48 cloned cards and a skimming device.
Stantu's case is similar to that of 34-year-old Norbert Karaba, also from Romania.
He was arrested at a southwest Bakersfield bank while allegedly withdrawing money from an ATM.
He was found with 78 cloned EBT cards and over $63,000 in cash.
The cash came from ATM withdrawals using the cloned cards, one right after another, 75 withdrawals total all between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Jan. 2.
Both Romanian men said they're transients, but the District Attorney's office refused to confirm if the two men were working together.
'I had all the inspiration I needed right there': Kern County firefighter battling cancer touched by fellow firefighters' gesture
Both men are out on bail.
Those aren't the only two ATM cases involving Romanian nationals.
In March 2023, two Romanians were arrested for allegedly placing a skimmer on a terminal in Arvin.
They were charged with felonies, but then failed to appear in court and warrants have been issued for their arrests.
Although the District Attorney's Office issued a release on January about the arrest of Karaba, the scope of the thefts was not disclosed to the public until KGET began getting calls Monday from concerned crime victims.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nevada man used Tualatin beauty salon to launder millions in drug trafficking proceeds
PORTLAND, Ore. () — A Nevada man pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to heading an Oregon-based drug trafficking organization, then laundering millions in profits through a Washington County business, authorities said. Luis Antonio Beltran Arredondo was a Mexican national 'unlawfully' living in North Las Vegas when he led a drug trafficking ring that brought pounds of heroin, fentanyl and meth into Oregon, the U.S. Department of Justice said. 15 years later: Kyron's 'not home, we're not done' Investigators seized more than 52 pounds of heroin, seven pounds of fentanyl pills and nearly six pounds of methamphetamine in connection with the Portland metro area drug trafficking operation between October 2021 and January 2022, according to court documents. Arredondo then conspired to launder $4.63 million in drug trafficking profits through a Tualatin-based beauty salon, officials said. He then bought nine properties using the money, converting them to income-generating rentals. The properties were forfeited to the United States and will be sold. On Monday, Arredondo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, distribution of heroin and fentanyl and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is slated to be sentenced on August 18, where he faces a maximum life sentence in prison, with five years supervised release and $10 million in fines. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Advocates demand release of Milwaukee father still facing deportation after being falsely accused of threatening Trump
Outside immigration court in downtown Chicago Wednesday morning, demonstrators demanded the release of an undocumented Mexican father from Milwaukee who was detained by immigration authorities after being falsely accused of sending death threats to President Donald Trump. Ramon Morales Reyes, 54, appeared virtually before a Chicago immigration judge Wednesday following his arrest in Milwaukee on May 21. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had announced the arrest, which occurred after he dropped his child off at school, saying Morales Reyes had written a letter threatening to kill Trump and would then 'self-deport' to Mexico. The announcement, which the White House also posted on its social media accounts, contained an image of the letter as well as a photo of Morales Reyes. The letter, written with blue ink and in English, threatened to kill Trump for 'messing with Mexicans.' But the claim started to unravel as investigators talked to Morales Reyes, who doesn't speak English fluently, and obtained a handwriting sample from him that was different from the handwriting in the letters, according to court documents. On Wednesday, Morales Reyes' family said it has faced public shaming and received multiple death threats on social media since Noem publicly condemned him. The family is urging the Department of Homeland Security to retract its initial statement and instead name the man who allegedly framed Morales Reyes to get him deported. 'My dad didn't deserve to be framed for something he never did, especially after it was already known that he didn't write the letter. They (DHS) knew that after investigating him,' Morales Reyes' daughter said in a phone interview with the Tribune. She asked that her name be withheld because of the ongoing threats to her and her family. On Monday, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that Demetric D. Scott was behind the letter sent to state and federal officials with the return address and name of Ramón Morales Reyes. Scott is now facing charges accusing him of forging the letter with the goal of having Morales Reyes deported in order to keep him from testifying against Scott in a 2023 assault case. Morales Reyes is listed as a victim in the case involving Scott, who is awaiting trial in Milwaukee County Jail on armed robbery and aggravated battery charges. In a statement to the Tribune, a senior DHS official said Morales Reyes is 'no longer under investigation for threats against the President.' The official did not say whether the agency would retract its statement. Meanwhile, Morales Reyes 'will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings as he is in the country illegally with previous arrests for felony hit and run, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier,' the official said in an email statement. His hearing in Chicago was postponed to next week, with the judge requesting more time to review late court filings. Cain Oulahan, Morales Reyes' lawyer, said his client has been in the country without authorization since 1986, and the felony and other arrests under his name are from 1996, 'when he was young.' Morales Reyes' daughter said her father has since then dedicated his life to work for his family, buying a home and paying their taxes in Milwaukee. He is a father of three and grandfather of two children, in what's now a mixed-status family with U.S-born kids. Law enforcement officers listened to several calls Scott made from the jail in which he talked about letters that needed to be mailed and a plan to get someone picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement so Scott's trial could get dismissed, according to the criminal complaint. He also admitted to police that he wrote the letters, documents said. Scott was charged Monday with felony witness intimidation, identity theft and two counts of bail-jumping. A court commissioner set a $30,000 cash bail during his initial court appearance Tuesday and scheduled a preliminary hearing for June 10. Oulahan said immigration agents arrested Morales with an administrative warrant that did not mention the alleged letter. He was also arrested despite having a pending application for a U visa, which is for people in the country illegally who become victims of serious crimes, his attorney said. A group of advocates traveled to Chicago from Milwaukee Wednesday in support of Morales Reyes and his family. They hoped to attend the public court hearing even though it was virtual. 'We want to let everyone know that he and his family are not alone,' said Christine Neumann, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, a nonprofit organization that provides resources to immigrants and low-income workers. For now, their goal is to get Morales Reyes out on bond. He is an older adult, facing several health problems that have been exacerbated by the false and serious accusations, Neumann said. As the family waits for the case to be processed, their only plea is for DHS to guarantee the safety of Morales Reyes and his family, she said. 'All people deserve dignity, respect, safety, including Ramon Morales Reyes,' said Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. 'But Trump and DHS are doubling down on harmful enforcement measures, and in the process keeping people like Ramon away from his family and community.'
4 hours ago
What to know about Ramón Morales Reyes, a Wisconsin man falsely accused of threatening Trump's life
CHICAGO -- A man falsely accused of threatening President Donald Trump's life faces deportation even as Wisconsin authorities say the Mexican immigrant was framed and is a victim of a violent 2023 attack. Ramón Morales Reyes was thrust into the national spotlight last week when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused him of writing letters threatening Trump. Agency officials quietly acknowledged Wednesday that Morales Reyes is no longer a suspect in that threat, a day after another man was charged in Wisconsin for forging the letters. But Trump administration social media posts blasting Morales Reyes as a potential presidential assassin remained online. Attorneys for Morales Reyes say he isn't a danger to the public, and activists believe he's a scapegoat in an increasing hostile environment for immigrants. Meanwhile, federal authorities say they're pushing ahead with deportation in part because the 54-year-old doesn't have legal permission to live in the country. Here are things to know about the case: Morales Reyes immigrated from Mexico in the 1980s, according to his attorney. A married man with three U.S. citizen children, he worked as a dishwasher in Milwaukee. Federal immigration agents took him into custody last month after he dropped his daughter at school. Days later Noem blasted his photo on social media, along with an excerpt of a letter he purportedly wrote in English calling for Trump to be shot at a rally. The arrest was held up by the White House and Trump supporters as a success in the administration's aggressive crackdown on immigration. But the details quickly unraveled, including the fact that Morales Reyes doesn't speak English well and can't write in the language. On Tuesday, authorities in Wisconsin charged Demetric D. Scott of forging the letter in an effort to blame Morales Reyes, a potential witness against him in a 2023 attack. Scott is accused of knocking Morales Reyes off his bicycle, injuring him with a box cutter and then taking the bike, according to court records. Court documents said law enforcement officials listened to calls Scott made about the letters and a plot to have someone picked up by immigration agents, all aiming to have the armed robbery and aggravated battery charges dismissed. He also admitted to police that he wrote the letters, documents said. Scott, who is in the Milwaukee County Jail, is awaiting a July trial. He's due in court on Tuesday on the newer charges, including felony witness intimidation and identity theft. A message left Tuesday for the state public defender's office wasn't immediately returned. Scott's attorneys have previously declined comment. Earlier this year, Morales Reyes applied for a U visa, which is for people in the country illegally who become victims of serious crimes. The application was pending, according to his attorneys. Morales Reyes has been detained at Dodge Detention Center in Juneau, which is about 70 miles (112.65 kilometers) north of Milwaukee. Homeland Security officials have not publicly corrected the information on the presidential threat. Instead they've doubled down on pursuing an immigration case against him. They allege Morales Reyes entered the country illegally at least nine times between 1998 and 2005 and that he has a criminal background. 'This criminal illegal alien is no longer under investigation for threats against the President, but will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,' DHS said in a statement Wednesday. Morales Reyes is accused of two incidents in 1996, according to his attorneys. In one he was arrested for damaging property in a hit-and-run but not charged. In another he was ticketed for disorderly conduct and criminal damage after a dispute with his wife. No one was injured, according to his attorney. Attorneys for Morales Reyes said the information on the threat should be corrected quickly as their client and his family are facing harassment and threats. 'This administration has jumped quickly to make announcements that they think will play well to their narrative of immigrants being dangerous,' said attorney Cain Oulahan. Immigrant rights advocates have rallied around Morales Reyes, including a group who stood outside a downtown Chicago immigration court Wednesday ahead of a brief hearing in the deportation case. Several held a large banner that read, 'Stop Scapegoating Immigrants.' Morales Reyes, wearing a green jail jumpsuit, appeared via livestream. He spoke through a Spanish interpreter, saying he understood the case. Oulahan told the judge that he was hoping for a quick resolution, considering the public accusations made against Morales Reyes. He's seeking for Morales Reyes to be released on bond. A government attorney told the judge she didn't have any information about the threat accusation. Immigration Judge Carla Espinoza said more time was needed to review documents. She set another hearing for June 10. The situation has been difficult for Morales Reyes and his relatives.
