Date: 03-17-2025

Case Style:

United States of America v. Sorin-Miguel Ghiorghe

Case Number: 24-CR-333

Judge: John F. Walter

Court: The United States District Court for the Central District of California

Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Los Angeles

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description:

Los Angeles, California criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Fraudulently Obtaining Public Assistance Benefits via Identity Theft
Former Fairfax District Resident Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Public Assistance Benefits via Identity Theft

A former resident of the Fairfax District of Los Angeles was indicted for his role in a scheme that involved using illegal skimmers on ATMs to harvest data, creating counterfeit debit cards using the stolen account holders’ information, and then using the cards to make cash withdrawals from numerous victims’ accounts.

Sorin-Miguel Ghiorghe, 47, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who will schedule a restitution hearing to occur in the coming months.

Ghiorghe pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, and one count of possession of device-making equipment.

Ghiorghe – a Romanian national whom prosecutors believe illegally entered the United States – admitted that he and his accomplices used counterfeit cards to fraudulently make withdrawals from the accounts of numerous victims, and that he specifically used the counterfeit cards to withdraw thousands of dollars from victims’ accounts.

The skimming ring focused on illegally accessing funds administered by the California Department of Social Services to low-income California residents through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) accounts, including CalFresh and CalWorks benefits. When law enforcement searched the apartment Ghiorghe was living in, they located ATM-skimming equipment and EBT account numbers in other peoples’ names.

The United States Secret Service investigated this case and received significant assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Max A. Shapiro of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case.

Outcome:

Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 36 months in federal prison

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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