Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged a 27-year-old man with stealing thousands of dollars in public assistance benefits, part of a broader crackdown that saw law enforcement arrest 11 foreign nationals in a major Electronic Benefits Transfer fraud operation across the region.
Ioannis Alecsopoulos faces multiple felony counts after allegedly withdrawing over $4,000 and attempting to take an additional $13,000 using fraudulent EBT cards at a Lancaster bank ATM, according to District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman.
"EBT theft cruelly robs vulnerable individuals of the public benefits they are legally entitled to," Hochman said. "In addition to directly taking critical financial assistance away from children, families, and the elderly, public assistance fraud steals from taxpayers."
Investigators arrested Alecsopoulos on Feb. 1 during an anti-skimming operation. They recovered nine skimming devices, 94 re-encoded gift cards, and eight pinhole cameras allegedly used to steal EBT account information from legitimate cardholders.
Alecsopoulos is charged with 10 counts of felony identity theft, three counts of felony grand theft, and one misdemeanor count of obstructing a law enforcement officer. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in state prison.
The arrest came during a two-day sweep by Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles' El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, working alongside multiple federal, state and local agencies. The operation targeted individuals making unauthorized withdrawals from EBT cards, which provide food and cash aid to low-income families.
Task force members arrested 11 foreign nationals and recovered more than 300 cloned EBT cards and $30,000 in cash during the Feb. 1-2 operation. One suspect in custody had previously been arrested in Romania on murder charges, according to HSI officials.
The California Department of Social Services reports that more than $100 million in benefits were stolen from California EBT cards in the past year, with Los Angeles County experiencing the majority of illegal withdrawals.
Law enforcement officials say this type of fraud is frequently tied to Romanian organized crime groups operating without legal status in the U.S. or who have been previously deported.
Alecsopoulos was arraigned Feb. 4 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, where his bail was increased to $500,000. He faces a preliminary hearing Feb. 19.
Prosecutors say the charges against Alecsopoulos include aggravating circumstances because the victims were particularly vulnerable and the alleged crimes involved sophisticated planning.
The district attorney's office is working with the county Department of Public Social Services to restore stolen benefits to victims. Officials urge EBT cardholders to watch for scams involving texting, card skimming, and fraudulent emails or websites.
The agency warns that neither county nor state officials will ever request EBT card numbers or PINs. Cardholders are advised to lock their cards and change PINs monthly, as well as shield card numbers when using ATMs or point-of-sale terminals.
The multi-agency task force operation included participation from:
- U.S. Secret Service
- California Department of Social Services
- U.S. Marshals Service
- U.S. Attorney's Office Central District of California
- Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
- Los Angeles Sheriff Department
- Multiple local police departments
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General
Suspects arrested during the operation were taken to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Los Angeles for processing, including identification and immigration status verification for those presenting suspected fraudulent documents.
Deputy District Attorney Jessica Palasik of the office's Public Assistance Fraud Division is prosecuting the case against Alecsopoulos, with investigation support from the office's Bureau of Investigation.
HSI encourages anyone with information about fraud involving government relief programs to contact their tip line at 877-4-HSI-TIP.
