L.A. Charity Director Stole Millions in Taxpayer Funds While Feeding Homeless Ramen Noodles
A director of a California charity has been arrested and charged with wire fraud after allegedly using taxpayer money to fund his lavish lifestyle, including a mansion and Range Rover.
The suspect is identified as Alexander Soofer, 42, who was the executive director of Abundant Blessings, which received government funds to operate and feed the homeless community, Fox News reported Friday.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said the South Los Angeles organization’s goal was to help people experiencing homelessness and that the charity had received more than $23 million in taxpayer money.
However, Essayli said the state did little oversight when distributing the money. Soofer is also accused of providing fake invoices and giving Ramen noodles to homeless people when he was supposed to ensure they had three nutritious meals a day.
In a press release regarding the case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said:
Soofer also failed to adequately house and feed homeless housing participants at its sites. After receiving telephone complaints and noticing discrepancies in Soofer’s billing and services, city and county investigators conducted site visits and discovered that the only food items served at these locations were ramen noodles, canned beans and breakfast bars — which contrasted with the three-meal-a-day commitment Soofer had made and for which the City of Los Angeles had paid.
Rather than providing the services he billed for to these public entities, Soofer pocketed at least $10 million. He used that public money for a down payment on his $7 million Westwood home, millions of dollars to improve that home, a private school for his children, lavish spending in Las Vegas, private jet trips and stays at luxury resorts across the United States – from Hawaii to Florida. Soofer also appears to have used $475,000 to purchase a vacation property in Greece, sending that money to a Greek real estate developer.
Essayli said Soofer was “living the high life” while people were suffering and homeless. “People are literally dying, and this guy is on vacation, buying houses, buying Range Rovers and shopping,” he added.
If convicted, the suspect faces 20 years in federal prison.
In March, Breitbart News reported that an audit found that billions of dollars spent on homeless people in Los Angeles were missing, and months later, the U.S. Department of Justice made two arrests of people accused of defrauding California’s homelessness program, Project Homekey.
