Romanian Brothers Plead Guilty in $760K SNAP Benefit Fraud Scheme That Victimized Families Across Multiple States
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two Romanian brothers who were illegally residing in the United States pleaded guilty Thursday to orchestrating a multistate fraud scheme that stole more than $760,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from vulnerable recipients, federal prosecutors announced.
Marian Ovidiu Dumitru, 37, and Catalin Dumitru, 39, each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina. The brothers, Romanian citizens residing unlawfully in various locations across the United States, face up to 20 years in prison at sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
According to court records, between July 2024 and August 2025, the defendants were part of an identity theft ring that defrauded SNAP programs in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and other states. The scheme used skimming devices installed at ATMs, fuel pumps, and other locations to steal data from electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards used to distribute SNAP benefits.
The stolen information was loaded onto counterfeit bank cards, gift cards, and other access devices, which the defendants then used at large membership warehouse clubs to purchase bulk items including coffee, candy, energy drinks, and baby formula. In one instance, the defendants used counterfeit cards loaded with stolen SNAP data from Massachusetts and New Jersey to purchase over $15,600 in goods from a warehouse club in Gastonia, North Carolina, and over $19,000 from another club in Pineville, North Carolina. The defendants then transported and resold the items for profit.
Court documents show that Catalin Dumitru and Marian Ovidiu Dumitru were found in possession of 15 or more counterfeit and unauthorized bank cards with magnetic strips cloned with stolen SNAP EBT account information, as well as blank cards with magnetic strips.
The scheme victimized more than 10 individuals, causing some substantial hardship, according to court records.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division stated: “The Fraud Division will not tolerate anyone who steals from public benefits programs designed to support Americans in need. If you attempt to defraud these programs, we will come after you with the full force of federal law. We are committed to safeguarding America’s tax dollars and the programs they are meant to support.”
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District of North Carolina added: “These individuals came to the United States illegally and preyed on some of our most vulnerable citizens—those receiving SNAP benefits. They stole benefits from those who actually need them and then resold products bought with those benefits for their own profit. We will use the full force of the federal government to hold accountable those who exploit taxpayer funded programs and victimize citizens on government assistance.”
Deadly Chiapas Smuggling Crash: Two Plead Guilty in Mass Casualty Event That Killed 50+
HOUSTON – Two Guatemalan nationals pleaded guilty Wednesday to human smuggling charges related to the December 2021 crash of a tractor-trailer in Chiapas, Mexico, that killed more than 50 people—including unaccompanied children—and injured over 100 others, federal prosecutors announced.
Agapito Jorge Ventura, 34, an illegal alien from Guatemala residing in the Houston area, and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 26, a Guatemalan national extradited to the United States in 2025, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring illegal aliens to the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury, and resulting in death. They face a maximum penalty of life in prison at sentencing, scheduled for October 6.
The guilty pleas mark the fifth and sixth convictions in the case, which has seen five of the six defendants charged admit to their roles in the smuggling conspiracy. Ventura and Zavala Quino acknowledged that they conspired with other smugglers to transport adults and unaccompanied minors from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States.
According to court documents, Ventura coordinated smuggling operations from the Houston area. He facilitated the release of Guatemalan aliens—including unaccompanied minors—from U.S. immigration authorities, providing co-conspirators with falsified scripts and instructions on what to say to officials if apprehended. Ventura also arranged for individuals to falsely pose as relatives of apprehended aliens to secure their release.
On December 9, 2021, Ventura, Zavala Quino, and others arranged for more than 150 illegal aliens to be loaded into a tractor-trailer for transport through Mexico. The vehicle crashed north of the Guatemala-Mexico border near Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, resulting in mass casualties and serious bodily injuries.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division stated: “This crime shows that human smugglers care only about profiting from their crimes, not about the illegal aliens they transport and the life-and-death risks to which they expose them. These defendants worked together to exploit vulnerable people by breaking the immigration laws of this country, with deadly consequences that followed. Robust border enforcement avoids deadly results like this.”
U.S. Attorney John E. Marck for the Southern District of Texas added: “With today’s guilty pleas, five defendants charged in this case have now been held accountable for one of the deadliest human smuggling tragedies in recent memory. These defendants treated more than 150 people as cargo, packing them into a tractor-trailer for profit with total disregard for human life.”
Other defendants previously pleaded guilty in the case: Daniel Zavala Ramos, 42, on April 7; and Josefa Canil De Zavala, 44, and Alberto Macario Chitic, 33, on June 11. All were extradited from Guatemala in 2025. Ventura was arrested at his residence in Cleveland, Texas, in December 2024.
Extradited Boat Driver Pleads Guilty in Deadly St. Lawrence River Smuggling That Killed Romanian Family
A dual Canadian-American citizen who was extradited from Canada pleaded guilty Friday for his role in a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of a Romanian family—including two children under the age of three—in the St. Lawrence River, federal prosecutors announced.
Rahsontanohstha Delormier, also known as “Storm,” 31, from the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Territory in Canada, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain. He faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 15 years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for October 27.
According to court documents, Delormier worked as a boat driver for a human smuggling organization that routinely transported aliens from Canada into northern New York across the St. Lawrence River. The organization smuggled aliens of various nationalities from mainland Cornwall, Ontario, to Cornwall Island, Canada, and through the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian reserve into the Northern District of New York.
On the night of March 28, 2023, and into the early morning of March 29, 2023, a co-conspirator transported a family of four Romanian aliens to Cornwall Island in a truck provided by Delormier. At approximately 3:06 a.m., the family was dropped off at Delormier’s residence to be brought across the river. Delormier launched a boat from a landing in St. Regis, Quebec, intending to pick up the family, but due to high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility, his boat broke down and he became stranded on St. Regis Island.
Later that night, a different boat pilot transported the family from a public boat launch on Cornwall Island and attempted to take them across the St. Lawrence River. While in transit, the boat capsized due to severe weather. The Romanian family—two parents and their two young children—and the boat driver died.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division stated: “This case is a tragic example of what happens when alien smugglers act for their own greed with callous disregard for human life and for the orderly administration of our nation’s immigration laws. Through investigations and prosecutions, we will continue to eliminate alien smuggling networks that flout our laws and evade lawful entry at our borders.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarone III for the Northern District of New York added: “Protecting our homeland remains a top priority and I thank our federal partners for their unwavering efforts along our Northern Border to keep Americans safe. This case highlights the success we can have when working together across government, federal law enforcement, tribal leaders on both sides of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian reserve and our partners across the border in Canada, all played a key role in bringing this defendant to justice.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Patrone of HSI Buffalo stated: “Rahsontanohstha Delormier’s actions led to the deaths of two young children and their parents—a loss that will be felt forever by their family and the North Country community. In response to this tragedy, HSI Massena and our federal, state, tribal, and Canadian partners worked tirelessly to dismantle this deadly smuggling organization.”
Co-conspirators Dakota Montour, 32; Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 45; Janet Terrance, 46; and Timothy Oakes, 35, all previously pleaded guilty. Delormier and co-conspirator Stephanie Square, 53, were extradited from Canada in 2025. Square is awaiting trial.
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