Ramsey County prosecutors have filed charges against two men who allegedly used card skimmers to drain thousands of dollars from state-issued EBT accounts across the Twin Cities metro area.

Nationwide arrest warrants have been issued for George Dimuleasa, 33, and Iulian Irimiea, 43, who were charged in Ramsey County District Court this week with identity theft, theft by swindle and wrongfully obtaining assistance.

The charges allege that Dimuleasa and Irimiea have been involved in installing card skimmers at stores, collecting account information, replicating EBT card numbers onto new cards and then withdrawing cash benefits from ATMs.

Dimuleasa, who is believed to be from Spain, and Irimiea, from Romania, “travel across the United States committing EBT theft related crimes,” charges say.

“Due to the nature of the charges and lack of ties to the United States, it is not believed that either suspect would appear for court upon issuance of a summons,” the charges say.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services issues funds on Electronic Benefit Transfer cards for residents and families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and cash assistance. The cards are used at approved stores and online retailers.

The agency issued an alert to EBT users last month, saying it has “received an uptick in reports of card skimming.” Tips were given on how EBT users can go about protecting their accounts.

Identified on surveillance

According to the charges, more than 120 people have fallen victim to EBT identity theft across the metro area since November.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s financial crimes unit is the central agency managing the EBT skimming complaints reported to law enforcement officials across the metro.

The charges say that investigators used surveillance photos and video from businesses where the stolen EBT cards were used to determine that Dimuleasa and Irimiea “are responsible for the overwhelming majority” of the EBT theft complaints.

Investigators say Dimuleasa and Irimiea can be “positively linked” to seven EBT identity thefts in the Twin Cities metro area since early November, totaling $4,185.50. The thefts range from $143.50 taken from an ATM at a Walgreens store in Arden Hills to $950.50 at a Walgreens in St. Anthony. The two men are also responsible for EBT thefts at a Walgreens in Burnsville and three more at a Walgreens in St. Louis Park, charges allege.

One store surveillance camera caught a suspect leaving in a 2023 Chevrolet SUV with Florida license plates. Investigators learned the SUV had been rented through SIXT Rent a Car at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Nov. 28 and returned there six days later.

As part of the rental agreement, SIXT takes photos of renters and their identification. Photographs of the renter match Irimiea, charges say.

This week, investigators learned from SIXT that Irimiea had rented a vehicle in Los Angeles on Dec. 19. Photos of a second renter identify Dimuleasa, charges say.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services said Friday in a statement that stolen benefits are being reimbursed in accordance with applicable federal laws once it’s been confirmed the funds were lost due to theft.

“DHS understands the difficulties EBT users are experiencing as a result of a nationwide increase in benefit theft,” the statement said. “We are investigating all reports of benefit theft so stolen funds can be reimbursed as quickly as possible.”

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Elijah McClain (Courtesy of McClain family)

The only police officer convicted in Elijah McClain’s death was sentenced Friday to 14 months in jail and four years of probation.

Adams County District Court Judge Mark Warner sentenced former officer Randy Roedema during a two-hour hearing in Adams County District Court.

The 41-year-old was convicted in October of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault in McClain’s 2019 death. Roedema faced between one and three years in prison on the homicide conviction and up to 24 months in jail on the assault conviction.

Warner sentenced Roedema to four years of probation with 90 days in jail, during which he will be eligible for work-release, on the homicide charge, and 14 months in jail, also with work-release eligibility, on the assault charge.

The sentences are to be served concurrently.

Roedema must report to the Adams County Jail by March 22, the judge said.

He also most complete 200 hours of community service.

Roedema did not appear to visibly react when the sentence was imposed.

People on both sides of the case cried during the sentencing hearing.

Warner noted that Roedema would have been eligible for parole in about 13.5 months had he been sentenced to three years in prison, the maximum allowable and the term requested by the prosecution.

“The court was shocked by what appeared to be indifference to Elijah MClain’s suffering,” Warner said.

Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mother, addressed the judge before he handed down his sentence. Her son, she said, “was murdered with intent and malice.”

“My son, Elijah McClain, was a healthy young man the night Randy Roedema chose to show my son the power and privilege of the boys in blue,” she said.

Roedema also addressed the judge, saying the situation that night in 2019 had a “horrible outcome that no one intended or wanted to happen.”

“I cannot imagine the agony they must feel,” Roedema said of McClain’s family.

Some 75 people submitted letters of support for Roedema before the sentencing, court records show.

Roedema was the only one of three Aurora police officers charged in McClain’s death to be convicted. Two Aurora paramedics also were convicted of criminally negligent homicide.

McClain was walking home on Aug. 24, 2019, when officers contacted him after a teenager called 911 and reported McClain as a suspicious person. The 23-year-old unarmed Black man was wearing a ski mask, listening to music and waving his arms as he walked home.

Within seconds of reaching McClain, Aurora police officers threw him to the ground and violently arrested him. Roedema helped to restrain McClain and Aurora police officer Nathan Woodyard used a carotid hold on McClain, squeezing his neck to force him to lose consciousness.

McClain vomited after the neck hold and inhaled that vomit into his lungs, testimony at trial revealed. He begged the officers for help, repeatedly telling them that he could not breathe, but the officers did not give him any medical aid, instead calling for paramedics.

After McClain was subdued and handcuffed, Aurora paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec injected McClain with a dose of the sedative ketamine, and he suffered a heart attack. He never recovered and died in the hospital days later.

Three officers and the two paramedics were criminally charged in connection with McClain’s death. Roedema, Cichuniec and Cooper were convicted. Woodyard and former officer Jason Rosenblatt were acquitted.

How will we remember the year in sports?

Let’s allow Chicago White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to do the honors:

“It was absolutely the worst season I’ve ever been through. It was a nightmare. It’s still a nightmare. It’s embarrassing. It’s disgusting. All the bad words you can think of is the way I feel about the 2023 season. It absolutely was just awful.”

Reinsdorf obviously was referring to the White Sox, but there were enough nightmares to go around for fans of every team to complain about, including another lost season of the Bears rebuild and an epic Cubs collapse.

Still, we watched and listened, groused and groaned and sometimes managed to laugh, because that’s what being a fan is all about.

With the year about to end, here are some of the best and worst things we saw and heard in 2023.

Ozzie and Chuck Show

Nothing worked better after a White Sox loss than washing it down with some vitriol from analyst Ozzie Guillen on the NBC Chicago Sports postgame show, co-starring Chuck Garfien. Guillen’s takedowns of the team and manager Pedro Grifol sounded like the guy sitting on the next bar stool.

“This is my job,” he told me. “Do I have an easy job? No. But the reason I have it, the reason they picked me to do this job is because the fans know I will tell the truth. If someone (from the White Sox) doesn’t like what I say, well, I’m here. I hope they (say something). I can’t wait for them.”

Honorable mention goes to Will Perdue and Kendall Gill, whose biting comments on the Chicago Bulls postgame shows are always on target.

The Sut Scale

After Marquee Network analyst Rick Sutcliffe’s excessively glowing commentary on the Cubs’ play during a West Coast trip in April, we invented the Sut Scale to judge the team’s postseason dreams.

Five Suts: “I’m telling you, this team has championship vibes.”

Four Suts: “My goodness, they look like they’ll be playing in October.”

Three Suts: “Never underestimate a David Ross-managed team.”

Two Suts: “It doesn’t happen overnight, but watch out, people, for those 2024 Cubbies.”

One Sut: “These guys really care.”

At the end of a roller-coaster season in which Ross was fired, the final verdict on 2023: Two Suts.

Worst call

During the Cubs’ trip to London, ESPN inexplicably assigned play-by-play man Michael Kay, best known for his New York Yankees job. Key mispronounced the name of Cubs closer Adbert Alzolay multiple times and appeared to be watching his first Cubs game.

At least do a little homework before taking the assignment.

Juiciest scoop

WMVP-AM 1000 host Peggy Kusinski seemingly solved the biggest mystery of the summer when she reported on air that one of the two victims of a shooting in the bleachers at White Sox Park “reportedly snuck the gun in past metal detectors hiding it in the folds of her belly fat.” No sources were cited, and the Sox’s flagship radio station never followed up on her report.

Reinsdorf said in September that “based upon the information available to us, I see virtually no possibility that the gunshots came from within the ballpark.” He didn’t cite his source either.

Months later, the Chicago Police Department has yet to solve the mystery of the gunshots, and so the “belly fat” theory has yet to be disproved.

Taylor Swift watch

Watching Swift watch football was easily the most overhyped sports media story of the year. God forbid the Kansas City Chiefs make the Super Bowl again.

Lip-readers even noted that Swift uttered a profanity Sunday during the Chiefs-Patriots game. Can you imagine someone swearing at a sports event?

Down and out

The viral clip of the year belonged to Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramirez’s knockdown of Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.

Guardians radio voice Tom Hamilton proved to be ready for the moment: “José and Anderson square off. They’re fighting, they’re swinging, down goes Anderson. Down goes Anderson!”

After the season, the Sox unceremoniously cut ties with Anderson, formerly referred to by the Sox as “the face of baseball.”

The bigger they are …

Heavyset Sox starter Lance Lynn lasted only six innings once in his first five starts and seemed flummoxed by the new pitch-clock rules.

“Maybe a couple salads would help,” Sox analyst Steve Stone told WSCR-AM 670 in a conversation about Lynn. Stone later apologized to Lynn.

But Lynn’s downfall continued, eventually leading to a trade deadline dump to the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he continued serving up home runs without eating enough salads.

The truth hurts

When Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić was ejected from a Dec. 12 game against the Chicago Bulls just before halftime, radio announcer Chuck Swirsky said there was “no excuse” for the Bulls to lose with Jokic and Jamal Murray out.

“I could think of some,” Bulls analyst Bill Wennington sarcastically responded. The Bulls went on to lose 114-106.

Multitasking fail

Marquee mic’d up Cody Bellinger for a game in September and caught some flak when he didn’t catch a line shot that hit the base of the outfield wall.

Bellinger was conversing with Jon Sciambi just before the ball was hit to him. He probably wouldn’t have caught it anyway, but some fans were upset he was forced to multitask during an important game in a pennant race.

Marquee general manager Mike McCarthy said it was “an experiment” that would not be repeated the rest of the season. “We’re trying to understand some of the implications of it and we won’t be pursuing it again,” he said.

Look for more in 2024, though maybe without Bellinger, who is yet unsigned.

Mr. Bombastic

It was another big year for bombastic yakkers on TV and radio.

The split of Fox Sports’ Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharp as their disagreements became personal was bad TV at its finest. Pat McAfee continued his assault on our intelligence on ESPN, on which he’s made a career from being Aaron Rodger’s valet.

But the honor of Mr. Bombastic 2023 goes to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who said on Paul Finebaum’s radio show “if enough people came to me and said to me, ‘Stephen A., you have a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States of America,’ I would strongly, strongly consider running.”

President Stephen A.? Remember, as bad as 2023 seems right now, it always could get worse.

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