Theft/Property — Charlotte, NC — reported 2026-07-12

SUMMARY

Two Romanian brothers used stolen SNAP benefits to buy thousands of dollars of food at warehouse clubs in North Carolina.

KEY FACTS

  • Incident type: Theft/Property
  • Location: Charlotte, NC
  • Date reported: 2026-07-12
  • Suspect: age 37
  • Status: arrested and pleaded guilty

REPORTED DETAILS

  • The pair were arrested Aug. 1 at a Charlotte storage unit after they bought $15,000 of food at a Sam's Club in Matthews.
  • The brothers used skimmers to steal data from electronic benefits cards used by SNAP recipients and put the information on counterfeit cards.
  • They used the fake cards to make bulk purchases of coffee, candy, energy drinks, baby formula and other goods at North Carolina stores.
  • The scheme had over 10 victims and caused some of them 'substantial hardship', officials said.
  • The SBI helped Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the investigation and surveillance of the brothers.