Indianapolis man pleads guilty in food stamp fraud

Indianapolis man Luis Rodolfo Valero Aldana, 26, has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges related to a food stamp fraud scheme that spanned two years. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the plea on Oct. 30, 2026. The case involves the production and use of more than 150 fraudulent Electronic Benefit Transfer cards.

Court documents state that the operation began in December 2024 and continued through December 2025. Investigators determined that the defendants used stolen personal information from legitimate cardholders in Indiana, Tennessee, California, New York, Texas, and other states. They created cloned EBT cards using equipment located inside Valero Aldana’s home.

The pair used these cards to buy merchandise at multiple Sam’s Club locations. The items included energy drinks, cooking oil, and soft drinks. The defendants sometimes used several EBT accounts in a single transaction. They then sold the goods to small businesses, including local Mexican restaurants, in exchange for cash or checks.

Law enforcement officers searched Valero Aldana’s residence on Feb. 5. Agents recovered an MSR605X 3-Track Card Encoder, a device investigators say was used to manufacture the fraudulent cards. Valero Aldana faces charges for conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, benefits fraud, and possession of device-making equipment. His co-defendant, Ana Virginia Lopez Macias, 29, also of Indianapolis, was indicted on similar charges plus seven counts of benefits fraud. Her jury trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 4, 2027.

Federal investigators calculated that the scheme resulted in more than $95,000 in unauthorized SNAP benefit transactions. The fraud affected more than 150 people across several states. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Valero Aldana will be sentenced by a federal judge at a later date.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office identified this case as part of the Trump administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. This federal effort targets fraud involving government benefit programs. Valero Aldana’s plea resolves his portion of the case, while Lopez Macias awaits trial in the coming months.