State, federal government to cover $6.8 million in benefits stolen in 2024 from Kern County EBT program
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — In 2024, 10,039 reports of stolen EBT were made to the Kern County Department of Human Services, totaling $6,832,990.
Millions of dollars stolen in benefits is not something new, says Human Services.
'I think it sort of ramped up in the pandemic … starting in 2020,' said Cinty Uetz, Chief Deputy Director.
For years, the trend has been around 800 reports of stolen EBT benefits per month, and the department says they saw a decline for January.
Out of that, Norbert Karaba allegedly stole $63,952 in just two hours on Jan. 2.
Court documents say he visited this U.S. Bank on Ming Avenue and the Wells Fargo on Panama Lane, and he withdrew the money from 78 cloned EBT cards.
The Bakersfield Californian reported that Karaba is a Romanian citizen residing in the U.S. on a visa, according to his attorney David Torres in a court hearing.
He was bailed out of jail by the Romanian Gypsy Church of Riverside.
Information has flooded headlines nationwide, alleging Romanian nationals being involved in organized crime and cloning cards. The District Attorney's office said another case of EBT theft charged Mari-Mar Milica, Fernando Stantu, and Alberto-Ionel Baran with fraudulent credit cards and devices used to defraud victims.
The three last names are of Romani and Slavic descent, says ancestry.com, though their nationalities have not been confirmed.
The number of EBT thefts in Kern County is huge.
'Over 22,000 was reported to us in two years,' said Uetz.
There were 22,000 reports of EBT theft in 2023 and 2024.
2 arrested after pursuit leads to deputy-involved shooting, crash on Fairfax Rd
These are the only two cases that the district attorney can link to EBT theft.
'We work really closely with our local DA's office, so they're in communication with CDSS, the state as well, to alert them of situations that they may need to look into for prosecution or for investigation,' said Uetz.
Though the money is replaced to recipients, it's a loss to the state.
'It is covered by state funding and federal funding. So, in other words, county isn't really out of that money,' said Uetz.
Uetz says before 17 News' reporting, neither County Supervisors or Grand Jury had inquired into this problem. As for investigation, recipients are not required to file a police report — that is managed by Human Services.
Uetz says the future might look promising.
'The state is rolling out new benefit cards — the EBT chip cards. Those are getting mailed out starting this month,' said Uetz. 'All cards should be out to customers by the end of June.'
Remember to keep all of your information updated, including addresses, as many of this information is mailed out. Human Services also reminds recipients to download the ebtEDGE app, and delete all other apps to monitor benefits, as these could also be fabricated to steal your information.
Cash aid recipients can also request their benefits to be deposited directly to their own bank accounts. This request can be made in person at the Human Services office.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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