INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man has agreed to plead guilty in a scheme involving more than 150 fraudulent food stamp cards and more than $95,000 in stolen SNAP benefits.
Luis Rodolfo Valero Aldana, 26, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, benefits fraud and possession of device-making equipment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
His co-defendant, Ana Virginia Lopez Macias, 29, of Indianapolis, has been indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, seven counts of benefits fraud and possession of device-making equipment. Her jury trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 4, 2027.
According to court documents, the scheme began as early as December 2024 and continued through December 2025. Investigators say the defendants produced and used more than 150 fraudulent Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards using stolen information from legitimate cardholders in Indiana and several other states.
The stolen card information came from victims in Indiana, Tennessee, California, New York, Texas and other states.
Investigators say the defendants used the cloned cards to purchase merchandise at multiple Sam’s Club locations before selling the items for cash. The purchases included energy drinks, cooking oil and soft drinks, sometimes using multiple EBT accounts in a single transaction.
The stolen merchandise was then sold to small businesses, including local Mexican restaurants, in exchange for cash or checks.
Investigators say Valero Aldana purchased stolen EBT card information and used equipment inside his home to create fraudulent cards.
On Feb. 5, law enforcement officers searched his residence and recovered an MSR605X 3-Track Card Encoder, which investigators say was used to manufacture the fraudulent cards.
The scheme resulted in more than $95,000 in unauthorized SNAP benefit transactions and affected more than 150 people, according to federal investigators.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Valero Aldana’s sentence will be determined by a federal judge at a later date.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case is part of the Trump administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a federal effort targeting fraud involving government benefit programs.
