F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli@USAttyEssayli
Alexander Soofer, 42, of Westwood, the executive director of the charity Abundant Blessings, was arrested this morning on a federal criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud -- a felony punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
Soofer is accused of lining his pockets with millions of taxpayer dollars intended to combat the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. Instead, he allegedly used the money to purchase a $7 million home, took luxury trips across the United States, and paid for his children's private school tuition, among other luxury items.
He will make his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon. Mr. Soofer is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
For too long, California has left the spigot of taxpayer dollars on and has not provided anywhere near enough oversight of how the money is being spent.
Thankfully, the federal government is stepping in to enforce the law. We are demanding accountability -- something the state's leaders for years have failed to do.
This is the third significant arrest from our Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force -- and we're just getting started.
