Two men involved in international criminal organization remain at large after posting bail

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – A two-year investigation by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office Government Fraud Unit and the FBI's Los Angeles field office has uncovered an international fraud ring tied to a Romanian criminal organization and two involved men are currently at large after posting bail.

Earlier this month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed that the local investigation resulted in the execution of 24 search warrants by Romanian law enforcement in Mures and Brasov counties targeting locations suspected to be tied to Dorneanu Organized Crime Group based out of Romania.

Romanian authorities seized devices used to clone Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, electronic components, documents, mobile phones, laptops, large sums of cash, and six vehicles connected to the criminal organization detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

The international law enforcement action resulted in the arrest of 11 people in Romania added the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

According to the FBI, the people arrested in this investigation worked for or were associated with Mihai Dorneanu, the alleged leader of the Dorneanu Crime Group, and five other members of the criminal organization have been arrested by the FBI and convicted in U.S. District Court.

"This group profited handsomely by targeting vulnerable EBT recipients who rely on funds to support their families and callously deprived victims of their basic needs," said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. "This investigation is yet another example of FBI Agents working closely with our foreign partners to identify, disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal enterprises who enter the United States illegally for the sole purpose of conducting criminal activity."

According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, two known affiliates of the Dorneanu Organized Crime Group, Paul 'Roman Janecek' Kimpian and Marius Vlaic, were previously arrested by the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation and charged with over a dozen felony counts related to multiple instances of CalWORKs theft using cloned EBT cards.

Both men posted their respective $50,000 bail in April of 2023 and allegedly removed their GPS ankle monitors before fleeing detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

If you have information about their whereabouts, contact your local law enforcement agency or you can report your information while remaining anonymous by calling Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

In October of 2023, Your News Channel looked into claims about a recent increase in EBT-specific fraud and found the issue was nationwide.

"Our office remains committed to protecting Ventura County residents from fraud and financial exploitation," shared Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. "This investigation demonstrates the importance of collaboration between local, federal, and international law enforcement agencies to dismantle organized crime groups that target public assistance programs."