TYLER, Texas — A man from Romania was sentenced to 12 years in prison Thursday for fraudulently obtaining food stamp information and committing debit card fraud in East Texas.
Alin Nistor, 34, pleaded guilty to fraudulent use of debit card information, food stamp fraud, and theft of property on Thursday in the 114th District Court inside the Smith County Courthouse.
According to the Smith County District Attorney's Office, the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center linked Nistor and his wife to large scale transnational organized crime consisting of Romanian nationals committing fraud throughout the United States.
At a hearing, evidence showed Nistor and his wife had stolen $5,000 worth of ink cartridges from a local Walmart. Weeks after that incident, they were stopped by the Tyler Police Department with 345 large cans of baby formula inside the car, which was obtained fraudulently and intended to be resold, according to the district attorney's office.
The DA's Office said Nistor had several Lone Star welfare cards and gift cards that had been fraudulently re-encoded with food stamp card information from California.
“This was a clear instance of organized criminal activity. These individuals are taking money earmarked for struggling mothers and their children and putting it into their own pockets. It is reverse Robin Hood: Take from the poor and give to yourself,” said Smith County Assistant District Attorney Emil Mikkelsen.
The Tyler Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center.