The CEO of a nonprofit organization was arrested Friday on charges of defrauding the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority of millions of dollars, county and federal prosecutors said.
Abundant Blessings CEO Alexander Soofer allegedly used $2 million of a total of $5 million in allegedly illegal funds toward his own properties or was accounted for through fraudulent invoices between 2022 and 2024, according to the LA County District Attorney’s Office.
He was released from county custody on a $610,000 bond, and a court appearance is set for Tuesday in downtown LA, according to jail records.
On Friday, federal authorities took Soofer, 42, into custody and charged him with fraudulently obtaining $23 million in public funds intended to address homelessness and pocketing at least $10 million, including using $7 million to buy a house in Westwood, $125,000 for a Range Rover vehicle, private school tuition for his children, private jet travel and stays at luxury resorts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
“Self-dealing government funds intended for food and housing for homeless residents of LA County, including families and children, is despicable,” LA County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. “The defendant called his company ‘Abundant Blessings,’ but the only abundant blessings he gave were to himself. My office will ensure anyone who thinks they can defraud the government will be brought to justice.”
County prosecutors charged Soofer with 11 felony counts of conflict of interest, two felony counts of offering false evidence and five felony counts of forgery in connection with millions of dollars in contracts involving LAHSA and Abundant Blessings, authorities said.
The conflict of interest charges stem from contracts between Abundant Blessings and LAHSA that expressly stated Soofer could not own the properties used to house homeless residents or subcontract with himself or family members with a financial interest in the properties or companies providing a service, according to prosecutors.
The LAHSA funds in question were for Youth Homelessness, Bridge Housing, Winter Shelter, Home Safe, Inside Safe and other programs, according to the DA’s office. Soofer also allegedly failed to provide shelter and nutritious meals required under the contract terms.
“The defendant allegedly betrayed the public trust, and I assure Mr. Soofer that unlike the homeless he allegedly stole from, he will have shelter and get three nutritious meals a day in prison,” Hochman said.
On June 30, 2024, Soofer allegedly provided fake subcontractor invoices to LAHSA with the names of real companies including Revolution Kitchen and Armed Elite Services, according to prosecutors.
Soofer faces 17 years, six months in county custody if convicted.
Following Soofer’s arrest, LA Mayor Karen Bass said her “administration has zero tolerance for fraud — period. It’s despicable that Mr. Soofer lied to the city and LAHSA for his personal gain and he took advantage of tax-payer funds meant to help unhoused Angelenos across South Los Angeles.”
LA City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez said the case against Soofer indicates the need for the city to deal directly with service providers instead of working through LAHSA, which is a joint LA County and city agency.
“This case is yet another example of the enormous resources that have been wasted while people remain unhoused and without help,” she said in a statement. “This is indefensible and must end now.”
Federal charges
Federal prosecutors charged Soofer with wire fraud. He made his initial appearance Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana but did not enter a plea. His arraignment on federal charges was scheduled for Feb. 26 in Los Angeles federal court.
He was ordered to be released from federal custody on $1.5 million bond, but he immediately surrendered to local authorities in connection with the county charges.
“California is the poster child of rampant fraud, waste, and abuse of tax dollars,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “The state has facilitated the spending of billions of dollars to combat homelessness, with little to show for it and almost no oversight. Thankfully, the federal government has begun auditing California’s spending and today’s is just one example of how fraudsters have swindled millions of dollars from taxpayers. This money should have gone to those in need, instead (it) lines the pockets of individuals subsidizing their lavish lifestyle.”
Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s LA Field Office, said in statement, “Soofer allegedly prioritized his own greed over decency and respect for the laws of our country. The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain dedicated to investigating and holding accountable those, like Soofer, who we contend flagrantly disregarded our laws by seeking to enrich himself at the public’s expense.”
According to an affidavit filed with the federal complaint, Soofer’s Hyde Park-based organization contracted with the LAHSA to provide housing for people who were experiencing homelessness or at risk of it. By July 2023, Soofer had multiple contracts with the agency to provide housing and supportive services to more than 600 people at multiple sites in South Los Angeles.
Between 2018 and 2025, Soofer received over $23 million in homeless housing funding, federal authorities reported. Of that, more than $5 million came directly from LAHSA and more than $17 million came through Special Service for Groups Inc., a downtown LA-based nonprofit organization.
For some contracts Soofer agreed to provide housing for homeless program participants at sites he managed, while for other agreements he committed to pay third parties, including hotels or motels, to provide housing, according to federal prosecutors. The contracts also required Abundant Blessings to provide participants with three meals a day, which the agreements defined as meals that were healthy, balanced and met participants’ nutritional requirements.
Prosecutors allege Soofer lied to LAHSA about how he was using the funds, falsely stating it went exclusively to combating the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles when actually he was diverting millions of dollars for personal use. Soofer also allegedly lied about payments supposedly made to third-party vendors for homeless housing services and concealed the diversion of money to his personal bank accounts.
According to prosecutors, Soofer falsely appeared to lease properties for homeless housing from third-party landlords at a market rate, when instead he was paying himself above market rate and again misappropriating money that could have helped alleviate homelessness.
To cover up the fraud, Soofer allegedly “fabricated fake and misleading invoices — at times stealing the names, addresses, and logos of real companies — to make it appear that the vendor and rent payments were legitimate,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“When a LAHSA investigator asked Soofer if his charity’s board knew how he was spending money, he said they did, but the investigator later learned that the board was fake — some of the people did not exist, and others had never heard of Abundant Blessings or Soofer,” prosecutors said.
The charges against Soofer include his alleged failure to appropriately shelter and feed program participants living at his sites.
“After receiving hotline complaints and noticing discrepancies in Soofer’s billing and services, city and county investigators conducted site visits and found the only food items being served at these sites were things such as Ramen noodles, canned beans, and breakfast bars — which was in contrast to the three-meal-a-day commitment Soofer had made and for which the City of Los Angeles had paid,” according to federal prosecutors.
Soofer pocketed at least $10 million and used that public money for a down payment on a $7 million home in Westwood, millions of dollars of upgrades to the home, private schooling for his children, lavish spending in Las Vegas, private jet travel and stays at luxury resorts across the United States from Hawaii to Florida, prosecutors allege. He also appeared to use $475,000 to purchase a vacation property in Greece and sent the funds to a Greek real estate developer.
“Alexander Soofer is alleged to have stolen millions of dollars designated to combat homelessness in Los Angeles,” Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of IRS Criminal Investigation’s LA Field Office said in a statement. “These funds were intended to support the city’s most vulnerable residents. IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to pursuing those who exploit public programs for personal gain. Today’s action demonstrates our determination to hold accountable individuals who misuse taxpayer dollars for self-enrichment.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Aaron McCullough with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General said in a statement, “Soofer is charged with embezzling funds designated to provide services for homeless individuals — some of the most vulnerable, struggling members of our community,” said “HUD-OIG remains committed to working alongside our partners on the Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Joint Task Force to aggressively pursue individuals who compromise the integrity of HUD programs and exploit communities in need.”
Soofer faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted as charged.
Updated Jan. 24, 2026, 11:01 a.m.
