DOJ Arrests Los Angeles Charity Director in $23 Million Fraud

Alexander Soofer, 42, was arrested in Los Angeles on a federal criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud after allegedly obtaining more than $23,000,000 in taxpayer funds, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors allege Soofer diverted at least $10,000,000 between 2018 and 2025 while serving as executive director of Abundant Blessings under contracts with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and Special Service for Groups Inc.

Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, called the arrest a "poster child of rampant fraud" in a DOJ news release.

Investigators said $5,000,000 came directly from LAHSA and more than $17,000,000 was funneled through Special Service for Groups Inc., and audits found participants were sometimes served only packaged items instead of required meals.

Soofer is scheduled to appear for an initial hearing in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana and, if convicted on the wire fraud charge, faces up to 20 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.