Federal prosecutors announced the arrest of the executive director of a California-based charity for allegedly pocketing “at least $10 million” in public money intended to combat homelessness. “A Westwood man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with fraudulently obtaining $23 million in public money intended to combat homelessness and pocketing at least $10 million of it, including using it for a $7 million house in Westwood, $125,000 Range Rover, private school tuition for his children, private jet travel, and stays at luxury resorts,” the Justice Department said on Friday. “Alexander Soofer, 42, is charged with wire fraud. He was arrested this morning and is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana,” it continued. Alexander Soofer, 42, of Westwood 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. He allegedly misappropriated tens of millions of dollars in homelessness funds, using the money to… pic.twitter.com/fkqrqNaj2c — US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) January 23, 2026 More from the Justice Department: According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Soofer is the executive director of Abundant Blessings, a Hyde Park-based charity. Through this charity, Soofer contracted with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) 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. In some contracts, Soofer agreed to house participants at sites he managed. In other contracts, he committed to pay third parties, including hotels or motels, to provide this housing. And regardless of where participants were housed, Soofer committed to provide participants with three meals a day, which the contracts defined as meals that were healthy, balanced, and met participants’ nutritional needs. But Soofer lied to LAHSA about how he was using the taxpayer money his charity received, falsely stating he used it exclusively to combat the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles, when he was misappropriating millions of dollars for himself. He also lied about payments supposedly being made to third party vendors for homeless housing services and took steps to conceal that he was diverting the money to his personal bank accounts. He also made it falsely appear he was leasing properties for homeless housing from third-party landlords at a market rate, when he was instead paying himself above market rate and again misappropriating money that could have been used to help alleviate the homeless housing crisis. “California is the poster child of rampant fraud, waste, and abuse of tax dollars,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “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 in lines the pockets of individuals subsidizing their lavish lifestyle,” he continued. “Soofer allegedly prioritized his own greed over decency and respect for the laws of our country,” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “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,” Davis added. NewsNation noted: IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher said the funds were meant to help Los Angeles’ most vulnerable residents. “Today’s action demonstrates our determination to hold accountable individuals who misuse taxpayer dollars for self-enrichment,” he said. The case marks the third arrest announced by the Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force, a joint federal effort involving the FBI, IRS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General. Federal prosecutors say more than two dozen additional investigations remain ongoing. “Soofer also appeared to use $475,000 to purchase a vacation property in Greece, sending this money to a Greek property developer,” the Justice Department said. “If convicted, Soofer would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison,” it added. KTLA 5 shared video coverage: