Federal investigators believe Maine has lost more than $100,000 in unauthorized welfare spending because of an organized criminal group that has been cloning cards meant for families using public assistance.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Jeronimo Mavungo-Raymond, who they allege stole funds using multiple cloned cards, according to federal court records. At least two of the original cards belonged to Maine residents with minor children who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, also known as TANF.
TANF is a federally funded, state-run government program that provides financial and employment assistance to very low-income families with dependent children.
Over the last seven months, the federal government said, Maine officials have reported $103,860 in losses following reports of unauthorized spending linked to roughly 111 recipients’ cards. More than $40,000 of that was lost on May 1, according to a court record.
Todd Bucci, an investigator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees TANF, wrote in an affidavit that people have been cloning cards and then using them to make large withdrawals from ATMs across Maine and New Hampshire. Recipients find out their card information is being used because TANF will flag fraudulent or unauthorized activity on their accounts.
Lindsay Hammes, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed that the department helped initiate an investigation alongside federal officials.
Hammes said that the department blocked Maine-issued EBT accounts from making any out-of-state purchases in all states but Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont as of August 2025, to prevent large-scale theft and cloning.
“Maine DHHS takes fraud seriously and is committed to ensuring that every dollar managed by the department is utilized lawfully, effectively, and in direct support of the programs and people they are intended to serve, which is why the department engages rigorous oversight and coordination with law enforcement and partners, including the federal government,” Hammes said in a statement.
Mavungo-Raymond, 24, made a first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon and was appointed a federal defender, according to federal court records.
Two different TANF recipients began getting alerts after May 1 that their EBT cards were being used for unauthorized purchases, Bucci said. One recipient reported the activity as fraudulent, including a $560 withdrawal from an ATM in South Portland and a $9.99 order at the New York Fried Chicken in Portland.
Bucci wrote in his affidavit that investigators relied on surveillance camera footage from both locations, and that they used ChatGPT and Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicle data to identify the car that Mavungo-Raymond was driving. Bucci wrote that the license plates in the original video were unclear.
Federal investigators also obtained surveillance footage of Mavungo-Raymond at another bank ATM, according to the affidavit, holding what appeared to be multiple cloned cards. There, they allege, he withdrew $680 using another cloned card from an account belonging to a different recipient with a child younger than 12 years old.
That second recipient confirmed to a Maine DHHS employee that they had not made the withdrawal.
Maine DHHS has reported similar incidents in the past, including an instance in August when at least 300 SNAP recipients’ cards were cloned, amounting to more than $76,000 in stolen funds.
Hammes said that in most cases involving electronic theft and phishing, the state is able to replenish lost funds to the intended recipients. She said TANF recipients can freeze their accounts using an online app, and suggested that recipients review their account activity and change their pins regularly.
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Emily Allen can be reached at eallen@pressherald.com.