A 39-year-old Romanian man has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $500,000 from a US government benefits program and other crimes.

According to the Northern District of California’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, Marius Marian stole $507,916 in Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) funds from those who rely on the money to cover basic expenses.

He also pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States following an aggravated felony conviction and making false statements on his asylum application.

Beginning in March 2024, Marian fraudulently obtained EBT funds by using over 601 unique victim EBT account identifiers. EBT benefits are federal funds distributed through the California Department of Social Services to low-income individuals to use for such things as food, rent, childcare and medical expenses.

Marian used skimmer devices on ATM and point-of-sale machines to capture the victims’ EBT card numbers when the victims used the cards. He then encoded the stolen EBT account information on counterfeit bank cards and used them to fraudulently withdraw EBT funds from ATMs in Northern California.

“As a result of his scheme, Marian withdrew $507,916 in cash and intended to withdraw $611,845 in EBT funds. Marian further admitted that his conduct involved sophisticated means and caused substantial financial hardship to at least 25 victims.

Additionally, Marian admitted that on or around April 27, 2023, he knowingly submitted false statements on an application for asylum to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Specifically, Marian knowingly failed to disclose in his asylum application that he had been previously deported from the United States and that he had previously been convicted in 2019 of bank fraud.

Finally, Marian acknowledged that he had been previously deported after his 2019 conviction for bank fraud and that he thereafter illegally reentered and was found in the United States.”

For theft of the EBT funds, Marian pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. The illegal entry into the US charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, while the asylum fraud charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Marian is due back in court for sentencing on October 20th.

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Giggle Academy and American Legion Charities have announced a $2 million partnership to launch a new scholarship initiative aimed at supporting American service members with collapsed disabilities through blockchain and AI education.

The program offers educational grants of up to $20,000 to military families, particularly disadvantaged students in services affected by death or disability in their duties. At the heart of this is the annual competition centered around practical blockchain and AI questions under the theme of “What’s broken and how do you fix it?”

Giggle Academy was founded in 2024 by Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder of Tech Antrepreneur and Binance, offering an AI-powered education platform that is given free gaming that focuses on real-world work-rich skills such as emotional intelligence, finances, negotiations and technical literacy, without barriers to formal or expensive passage.

“I have chosen to start this scholarship program with children from US military families because I know what service these young people look like,” CZ said. “They have seen the costs up close, they have courage, discipline and often sadness, but they also have a culture of selfless leadership.

The initiative, which includes US 9/11 post military children and 750 million illiterate adults around the world, is aimed at addressing the long-standing educational gap, according to the announcement. American Legion has been supported by veterans for over a century and brings legacy and trust to this mission.

“Military families are sacrificed at the expense of serving, but often overlooked, especially when uniforms are removed,” American Legion said. “We are grateful that Giggle Academy has been joining us, giving life to our freedom and telling our children, ‘You will never forget.’ ”

The scholarship program links military children to next-generation learning tools and adaptation curriculum built for those facing the most challenging challenges of life.

“This partnership with Giggle Academy will help us to bring that commitment into the future, supplementing the old-fashioned service with cutting-edge access to education,” added American Legion. “Together, we are not only respecting sacrifices, we are not only building opportunities, we are one child at a time.”

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Senator Adam Schiff of California rolled out a bill on Monday aimed squarely at the highest office in the land. It would bar the president, vice president and their immediate family from getting into any crypto business while wearing the badge of public office. The move comes as concern is growing over political power mixing with digital money moves.

Strict Ban On Crypto Endorsements

According to the Curbing Officials’ Income and Nondisclosure (COIN) Act, no sitting president or vice president could issue, sponsor or endorse any cryptocurrency, meme coin, NFT or stablecoin.

The same rule would cover their spouses and children. Based on reports, the plan even makes them report any sale of digital assets over $1,000. That simple step could force more transparency on deals that happen behind closed doors.

Source: US Senate.

Heavy Penalties For Violators

The COIN Act sets clear penalties for anyone who steps out of line. Civil fines would match the profit made on a bad deal. Anyone who breaks the rule could also face up to five years in prison.

It’s a steep price. That level of punishment sends a strong signal that these are not harmless side projects but serious conflicts of interest.

U.S. Democratic lawmakers introduce bill to combat crypto-related conflicts of interest

Ten Democratic lawmakers, including California Senator @SenAdamSchiff, have introduced the “Curbing Officials’ Income and Nondisclosure” bill or COIN Act, to prevent the president and public…

— CoinNess Global (@CoinnessGL) June 23, 2025

Links To Trump’s Crypto Deals

Schiff did not hide why he pushed this bill. Based on reports, US President Donald Trump pulled in $58 million from crypto ventures in 2024, mostly from WLFI token sales.

That haul was second only to his hotel and resort earnings. And he’s eyeing another $390 million token sale in 2025, plus gains from his meme coin that launched in January.

BTCUSD trading at $105,330 on the 24-hour chart: TradingView

His companies are also involved in Bitcoin mining and a proposed $2.3 billion Bitcoin treasury plan under Trump Media and Technology Group.

The SEC cleared that $2.3 billion filing on June 13, covering 85 million shares and 29 million tied to convertible notes.

Challenges In A Divided Congress

Getting this through won’t be easy. Nine Senate Democrats have signed on as co-sponsors. Of those, seven backed last week’s GENIUS Act, which set stablecoin rules for Congress but left the president untouched.

That split vote showed how tricky it is to balance broad crypto rules with a law aimed at one person. The House is under Republican control, and any bill that could put a president in a bind is likely to stall in committee.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

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A US city will be distributing a total of $12,000 in financial assistance to qualified residents as part of a local guaranteed basic income program.

The city of Richmond in Virginia says that starting May 27th, residents can apply for the fourth cohort of the Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI) Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) program.

For this batch, the RRI will focus on supporting single parents, including guardians with custody, step parents, foster parents and other primary household caregivers. The city says eligible beneficiaries will receive $500 per month for 24 months with no strings attached.

The RRI aims to improve financial stability among working families. The city says the program is part of a growing national movement that seeks to demonstrate the power of direct, unrestricted cash assistance in helping families attain greater financial independence and reduce stress.

According to Richmond’s Office of Community Wealth Building (OCWB), those who participated in the RRI program used their monthly payments to meet essential needs, pay debts, invest in education and create stability for their families.

Says Richmond Mayor Danny Avula,

“The Richmond Resilience Initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a city where families have the stability and support they need to build a better future. This is about trust, dignity, and ensuring our residents have the resources to move forward with confidence.”

The application is open until June 30th.

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