A Romanian national, Marius Marian, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to a scheme involving the fraudulent acquisition of over $500,000 in Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) funds, illegal reentry into the United States after an aggravated felony conviction, and making false statements on an asylum application.
Marian, 39, was charged on July 23, 2025, with one count each of bank fraud, illegal re-entry following an aggravated felony conviction, and asylum fraud. He entered his guilty plea to all three counts during today’s hearing.
According to court documents and Marian’s admission in court, between March 2, 2024 and June 3, 2025 he used skimmer devices placed on ATM and point-of-sale machines to capture EBT account information from victims in California. EBT benefits are federal funds distributed through the California Department of Social Services to individuals in need across the state. Marian then encoded this stolen data onto counterfeit bank cards and withdrew cash from ATMs located in Northern California.
Authorities said Marian withdrew $507,916 in cash using this method and intended to withdraw a total of $611,845. His actions were described as involving sophisticated means and causing substantial financial hardship for at least 25 victims.
In addition to the fraud scheme, Marian admitted that he knowingly submitted false statements on an asylum application filed with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security around April 27, 2023. Specifically, he failed to disclose both his previous deportation from the United States and a prior bank fraud conviction from 2019.
Marian also acknowledged having been previously deported after his earlier bank fraud conviction before illegally reentering the country.
“United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), San Francisco Field Office, Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Diamond, Special Agent-in-Charge Shawn Dionida, U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG), and ICE Field Office Director Sergio Albarran made the announcement.”
Marian remains in federal custody pending sentencing scheduled for October 20, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin. The maximum statutory penalties include up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for bank fraud; up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine for illegal re-entry; and up to twenty years in prison with a $250,000 fine for asylum fraud. The actual sentence will be determined by the court based on federal guidelines.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily R. Dahlke with support from Alycee Lane and Amala James following an investigation led by the FBI along with DSS, USDA OIG and ICE.
