From KTLA: Federal prosecutors announced Friday that the head of a South Los Angeles charity was arrested on wire-fraud charges, accused of stealing more than $23 million meant to help people experiencing homelessness — and spending some of it on luxury travel, including stays at a Maui resort featured in HBO’s “The White Lotus.”
Authorities say Alexander Soofer, 42, ran Abundant Blessings, a Hyde Park-based nonprofit that received more than $23 million in homelessness funding between 2018 and 2025. Prosecutors allege he pocketed at least $10 million for a $7 million Westwood home, private jet trips, designer shopping and a vacation property in Greece.
Despite contracts requiring three healthy meals a day for more than 600 people, prosecutors say residents at Soofer-run sites were sometimes fed only ramen noodles, canned beans and breakfast bars heated in a microwave. In July 2025, city investigators publicly raised alarms about a contractor serving mostly instant ramen to unhoused residents — a practice Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia said fell far short of contractual meal requirements.
Soofer had contracted with LAHSA to provide housing and supportive services for over 600 people in South Los Angeles by July 2023.
Soofer allegedly concealed the scheme by submitting fake invoices and falsely claiming a legitimate board of directors for his charity.
In a post on X, Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, announced the arrest. He wrote:
“Alexander Soofer, 42, of Westwood, the executive director of the charity Abundant Blessings, 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.
“Soofer is accused of lining his pockets with millions of taxpayer dollars intended to combat the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. Instead, he allegedly used the money to purchase a $7 million home, took luxury trips across the United States, and paid for his children’s private school tuition, among other luxury items.
“He will make his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon. Mr. Soofer is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
“For too long, California has left the spigot of taxpayer dollars on and has not provided anywhere near enough oversight of how the money is being spent.
“Thankfully, the federal government is stepping in to enforce the law. We are demanding accountability — something the state’s leaders for years have failed to do.
“This is the third significant arrest from our Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force — and we’re just getting started.”
Alexander Soofer, 42, of Westwood, the executive director of the charity Abundant Blessings, 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.
Soofer is accused of lining his pockets… pic.twitter.com/fd0uk3YWFc
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) January 23, 2026
Read more at KTLA
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
