Eight Charged in $177K Benefits Fraud Sweep in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Eight people, including a Los Angeles Metro employee and a California Employment Development Department employee, have been charged in six separate felony cases with fraudulently obtaining $177,233.77 in CalFresh and CalWORKs benefits intended for low-income families, prosecutors announced on November 12, 2026.

Read the Los Angeles County District Attorney's release: https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/eight-charged-fraudulently-obtaining-177k-calfresh-and-calworks-benefits-intended-low

The defendants are accused of fraudulently obtaining the benefits from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS), according to the release.

Prosecutors allege the defendants concealed tens of thousands of dollars in assets and income, including a million-dollar rental home, a profitable bakery and an investment account with a balance of more than $1 million, according to the release.

CalWORKs and CalFresh are intended to provide food, housing, employment, clothing, childcare, medical and utility assistance for low-income families, according to the release.

Six Cases, Eight Defendants, And $177,233.77 Alleged

Ogi Buyan of Santa Monica is accused of fraudulently obtaining $47,059.77 in CalWORKs cash aid, CalFresh and Housing Assistance benefits between September 30, 2019, and August 12, 2023, while holding two investment accounts with a combined monthly balance ranging from $60,000 to over $1 million, according to the release.

Buyan is charged in case 26CJCF04969, filed August 7, with one felony count of aid by misrepresentation over $950 and seven felony counts of perjury by false application for aid, according to the release.

Rana Soliman of San Dimas is accused of fraudulently obtaining $23,255 in CalWORKs and CalFresh benefits between October 5, 2022, and August 31, 2025, despite owning a home in Menifee valued at approximately $611,100 and receiving rental income of $3,200 to $3,600 per month, according to the release.

Soliman is charged in case 26CJCF04799, filed August 3, with one felony count of aid by misrepresentation over $950 and four felony counts of perjury by false application for aid, according to the release.

Jafar Abdi and Adrineh Abdi of Glendale are accused of fraudulently obtaining $29,579 in CalFresh benefits between May 16, 2021, and June 29, 2023, according to the release.

Prosecutors allege Adrineh Abdi worked full time at a local college and earned more than $165,000 during the alleged fraud period, and that the spouses owned a house in Glendale with a current market value of approximately $979,000, rented out for $4,825 each month, according to the release.

Each of the Abdis is charged in case 26CJCF03664, filed June 15, with one felony count of aid by misrepresentation over $950 and perjury counts, according to the release.

A Bakery, An EDD Job, And A Metro Job Allegedly Hidden

Hasmik Hovhannisyan and Hayk Grigoryan of Los Angeles are accused of fraudulently obtaining $38,630 in CalWORKs and CalFresh benefits between March 3, 2023, and February 27, 2025, according to the release.

Prosecutors allege the spouses owned the Los Angeles bakery where Grigoryan was reported as an employee and received $115,055 in corporate income between 2022 and 2024 that was not reported, according to the release.

Each is charged in case 26CJCF05380, filed August 5, with one felony count of aid by misrepresentation over $950 and four felony counts of perjury by false application for aid, according to the release.

Nadya Daniels of Inglewood is accused of fraudulently obtaining $21,076 in CalFresh benefits between April 5, 2023, and April 18, 2025, while working for the California Employment Development Department with gross monthly income ranging from approximately $4,500 to $5,980, according to the release.

Daniels is charged in case 26CJCF04971, filed August 7, with one felony count of aid by misrepresentation over $950 and five felony counts of perjury by false application for aid, according to the release.

Nyeisha Nicole Taylor of Los Angeles is accused of fraudulently obtaining $17,634 in CalWORKs and CalFresh benefits between November 6, 2021, and August 22, 2022, after being hired by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in January 2022, according to the release.

Taylor is charged in case 26CJCF05033, filed August 11, with one felony count of aid by misrepresentation over $950 and two felony counts of perjury by false application for aid, according to the release.

340 Cases Filed, Official Warnings, And December Hearings

"Public benefits are a lifeline for struggling families, not free cash for fraudsters," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in the release.

"My office has filed over 340 cases this year alleging a staggering $4.8 million in government losses because of fraud and perjury committed by public benefits recipients," Hochman said in the release.

Preliminary hearing settings are scheduled for November 20, December 4 and December 11, 2026, in the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, according to the release.

Deputy District Attorney Ursula Aguiar of the Public Assistance Fraud Division is prosecuting the six cases, and DPSS is investigating, according to the release.

The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law, according to the release.

Anyone can anonymously report welfare fraud to DPSS at 800-349-9970 or to the California Department of Social Services at 800-344-8477.

Sources Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office — Official News Release, November 12, 2026: https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/eight-charged-fraudulently-obtaining-177k-calfresh-and-calworks-benefits-intended-low