Florida Attorney General James Usmeyer announced that five people have been charged in connection with what prosecutors describe as a coordinated scheme to defraud Florida’s electronic benefit transfer program.
The defendants are accused of using stolen EBT card information and personal identification information to purchase items that could easily be resold for cash, including Monster and Red Bull energy drinks, coffee and bottled water, Usmayer’s office said. Authorities said the alleged plot took place in Orange and Seminole counties.
“Florida will not tolerate a coordinated scheme to steal taxpayer-funded benefits meant for Florida families,” Usmeyer said. “We continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable all individuals involved in this scheme.”
The five defendants charged in the case are Carlos Rubén Gómez Jiménez, Maite Lazara Mesa Labrada, Carlos Luis Díaz Jiménez, Enrique Gonzalez, and Luis Gonzalez Dominguez. Gomez Jimenez and Mesa Labrada entered the United States illegally in 2024, according to immigration records cited by the Attorney General’s Office.
All five defendants are charged with organized fraud scheme under $20,000 and welfare fraud over $200 but under $20,000.
Gomez Jimenez, Mesa Labrada, and Díaz Jimenez are also charged with criminal use of personally identifying information involving more than 10 EBT accounts. Dominguez is charged with criminal use of personal identifying information, and Diaz Jimenez and Gonzalez are charged with trafficking in stolen property.
If convicted, Diaz Jimenez faces up to 40 years in prison in the Florida Department of Corrections. Gomez Jimenez, Gonzalez and Mesa Labrada each face up to 25 years in prison, while Dominguez faces up to 15 years in prison.
Díaz-Jimenez, Mesa-Labrada, and Gomez-Jiménez also face a minimum of three years in prison in connection with charges of criminal use of personally identifying information involving 10 or more victims.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Additional fees may be charged as the case progresses.
The incident is being investigated by the Orlando Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Scott Strauss, special prosecutor for welfare fraud in Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit.
