Source: US FBI
OAKLAND – Marius Marian pleaded guilty in federal court today to fraudulently obtaining over $500,000 in Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) funds, illegally reentering the United States following an aggravated felony conviction, and making false statements on his asylum application.
Marian, 39, a citizen of Romania, was charged by information on July 23, 2025, with one count of bank fraud, one count of illegal re-entry into the United States following an aggravated felony conviction, and one count of asylum fraud. He pleaded guilty to all three counts today.
In pleading guilty, Marian admitted that from March 2, 2024, through June 3, 2025, he fraudulently obtained EBT funds by using over 601 unique victim EBT account identifiers. As described in court documents, EBT benefits are federal funds distributed through the California Department of Social Services to individuals in need in California. Marian obtained EBT cards numbers by using skimmer devices on ATM and point of sale machines that captured the victim’s EBT account information when the victim uses the card. After encoding the victim’s EBT account information on counterfeit bank cards, Marian used the counterfeit bank cards to fraudulently withdraw EBT funds from ATMs in Northern California.
As a result of his scheme, Marian withdrew $507,916 in cash and intended to withdraw $611,845 in EBT funds. Marian further admitted that his conduct involved sophisticated means and caused substantial financial hardship to at least 25 victims.
Additionally, Marian admitted that on or around April 27, 2023, he knowingly submitted false statements on an application for asylum to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Specifically, Marian knowingly failed to disclose in his asylum application that he had been previously deported from the United States and that he had previously been convicted in 2019 of bank fraud.
Finally, Marian acknowledged that he had been previously deported after his 2019 conviction for bank fraud and that he thereafter illegally reentered and was found in the United States.
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 is currently in federal custody. Marian’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 20, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine for the count of bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344; 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the count of illegal re-entry following an aggravated felony conviction in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1326(a) and (b)(2); and 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the count of asylum fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a). Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily R. Dahlke is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Alycee Lane and Amala James. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, DSS, USDA OIG, and ICE.