DOJ alleges the brothers deployed skimmers at ATMs and fuel pumps to steal SNAP EBT card data. The stolen information was used to create counterfeit cards for benefit purchases across state lines.

In another account of the allegations surrounding DOJ’s SNAP case, prosecutors describe how skimming hardware enabled the fraud before any counterfeit purchases occurred. DOJ says the defendants placed skimming devices on or near ATM and fuel-pump payment interfaces to capture sensitive information from EBT cards during normal use. Once the card data was collected, the group allegedly used it to generate counterfeit access devices, allowing the perpetrators to conduct transactions using stolen benefit credentials rather than legitimate program enrollment. The multistate aspect is key: prosecutors claim the scheme affected more than one state, meaning downstream harms likely included both individual victims and the systems tasked with detecting and preventing unauthorized benefit usage. DOJ’s framing focuses on the mechanics of the fraud: first the illicit capture of account information, then the creation of usable fraudulent instruments, and finally the monetization through high-volume purchases of bulk items for resale. Cases like this also illustrate why beneficiaries and agencies are targeted: attackers can blend into everyday locations where card readers are common. The guilty plea indicates the prosecution’s evidence supported the described process, including how the group converted stolen data into functional counterfeit cards for repeated benefit exploitation.