Three people have been indicted following a nearly year-long investigation into the use of card skimmers to steal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits across Ohio.
The Ohio Investigative Unit identified at least $600,000 in stolen benefits.
A Franklin County Common Pleas Court grand jury indicted Columbus residents Ionut Bizga, 33; Doina Bacelan, 32; and Juan Hernandez, 26, earlier this month for what officials described as a “pattern of corrupt activity and food stamp fraud.”
However, authorities said they are not yet finished with the investigation. They expect to file more charges once additional suspects are identified.
The probe began in August 2024 when the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services alerted OIU that stolen SNAP benefits were being used for fraudulent Electronic Benefits Transfer transactions at Columbus-area Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale locations.
In response, OIU performed surveillance at the stores, ultimately identifying three suspects who appeared to be using stolen benefits to shop.
In October 2024, investigators tracked the suspects to a residence at a Columbus apartment complex named The Gardens. Using “surveillance techniques” and video that Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale officials provided, agents linked the suspects to suspected fraudulent EBT purchases totaling more than $600,000.
The suspects are accused of purchasing bulk quantities of candy and energy drinks with stolen EBT benefits, often surpassing $3,000 per visit.
The items were stored in units around Columbus and shipped out of state in box trucks. The stolen items were sold to a local distributor on several occasions, authorities said.
These suspects and several unidentified people were also observed installing credit card skimmers at stores in Ohio and Kentucky.
On May 14, OIU coordinated with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, St. Clairsville Post. Troopers stopped a 2011 Toyota Sienna registered to Bizga, traveling westbound on Interstate 70 near St. Clairsville.
Bizga and Bacelan were in the vehicle and arrested. OIU agents responded to St. Clairsville and conducted interviews with the help of a U.S. Secret Service translator.
A search warrant on their vehicle resulted in the seizure of more than $62,600 in cash, gold coins, gold jewelry, suspected cloned credit cards, four cell phones, and related records.
The next day, OIU agents executed eight more search warrants in Franklin County, following the information gathered through surveillance and cooperation with the local stores. Officials said that investigators searched three vehicles, a residence and five storage units in three locations.
Items seized included 32 cases of energy drinks from a Morse Road storage unit, 232 cases of energy drinks and 205 cases of candy from a Livingston Avenue storage unit, 125 cases of candy and seven cases of energy drinks from a Kia Sedona, and two laptops, six credit card skimmers, a credit card terminal, and 18 suspected cloned gift cards from a Volkswagen Jetta. Authorities also seized records and criminal tools from a Honda Odyssey and two laptops, two cell phones, 36 suspected cloned gift or credit cards, and a magnetic card reader/writer that authorities said might have been used to clone EBT cards from a McCallum Club residence in Columbus.
Officials said that OIU plans to ask for the Sienna, Jetta, Odyssey, currency, and gold recovered during the search warrants to be forfeited.
Officials said that the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, Economic Crimes Unit; Franklin County Job and Family Services; U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General; the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Computer Crimes Unit, Intel, and Post 7; U.S. Secret Service; Walmart, Kroger; BJ’s Wholesale; and the Columbus Division of Police also participated in the investigation.
