Alex Soofer, 42, stands accused of stealing taxpayer funds to buy a $7 million property in Westwood, a vacation house in Greece, and pay private school tuition for his kids, federal prosecutors say
Alexander Soofer, the dapperly-dressed owner of the charity Abundant Blessings, was arrested Friday morning on a federal criminal complaint charging him with pilfering taxpayer dollars earmarked for the homeless to buy a mansion in Westwood, a vacation home in Greece, outfit himself in couture, and party first class at a Vegas casino, First Assistant United States Attorney for L.A. Bill Essayli said.
Alexander Soofer lived large on pilfered taxpayer dollars meant for the homeless, federal investigators say Credit: Department of Justice
Soofer was contracted by Homeless Services Authority to provide housing for people who were homeless or were at risk of becoming homeless. By July 2023, Soofer had multiple contracts with LAHSA to provide housing and supportive services to more than 600 homeless program participants at multiple sites across South Los Angeles.
In total, between 2018 and 2025, Soofer received more than $23 million in homeless housing funding. Of that, more than $5 million came directly from LAHSA and more than $17 million came through a downtown Los Angeles-based non-profit called Special Service for Groups Inc. He was contracted by the city to house the homeless and provide them three meals a day. Instead, he gave them “ramen and a microwave,” Essayli said.
“California is the poster child of rampant fraud, waste, and abuse of tax dollars,” said First Essayl said. “This money should have gone to those in need, instead it lines the pockets of individuals subsidizing their lavish lifestyle.” Individuals, Essayli said, ike Soofer who lived large and traveled in luxury – including to the Four Seasons resort in Maui where the HBO hit The White Lotus was filmed – on the taxpayers’ dime.
Soofer and his family “spent millions of dollars on personal expenses, including the downpayment on a $7 million house in Westwood, a $125,000 Range Rover, $475,000 for what appears to be a vacation property in Greece, and millions more on travel and entertainment, home renovations, and other living expenses, according to an indictment.
To cover up his fraud, Soofer allegedly created a fake board of directors and bogus invoices using the names of real companies, prosecutors say. His scheme became the subject of a federal investigation after tipsters began complaining about being served canned beans and breakfast bars or noodles. It is unclear why the City of Los Angeles was not auditing his services despite the multiple complaints about their contractors’ subpar treatment of the homeless.
But Soofer’s bookkeeper, a Filipino immigrant who overstayed her student visa, was approached by the FBI about her boss’s scheme, according to a federal indictment. She was paid roughly minimum wage as Soofer is accused of paying himself and his wife six-figure salaries that supplemented what he was allegedly stealing, the indictment states.
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Tyler Hatcher, the Special Agent in Charge of L.A.’s IRS Criminal Investigation, said the latest homeless fraud arrest “demonstrates our determination to hold accountable individuals who misuse taxpayer dollars for self-enrichment.”
Soofer was arrested in an early morning raid on his recently purchased Westwood mansion, a home prosecutors say he purchased after posting a down payment with stolen taxpayer dollars. If convicted, Soofer would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.