A 22-year-old man from Romania and Ireland was sentenced to two years in federal prison for his role in a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Fabritio Sardaru was sentenced by Julie R. Rubin after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft tied to a scheme involving stolen Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card information from victims across several states.
Investigators said the conspiracy involved installing skimming devices on point-of-sale terminals to collect EBT data and creating cloned cards to make fraudulent purchases. In July 2022, Sardaru used cloned cards to purchase baby formula at stores in Montgomery and Howard counties before officers with the Montgomery County Department of Police conducted a traffic stop and discovered approximately 353 cans of formula in his vehicle. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General along with the Howard County Police Department and assistance from the Maryland Department of Human Services. Authorities said the conspiracy resulted in about $343,756 in losses in Maryland and left multiple victims temporarily unable to access their food benefits.
