14 DAY TRIAL // In January this year, word got out that Nadya Suleman, aka Octomom, went back on welfare even though she’d promised she’d never do that again. By March, she was under investigation for fraud and, according to a new report, the investigation has just turned very, very serious.
Authorities looking into allegations that Suleman stole thousands of dollars in taxpayers’ money are out to seize her financial documents to prove that she could very well live without the welfare money, TMZ has learned.
Depending on what they find in the bank records (that is, if they find she’s been earning enough money not to need welfare), she could be charged with welfare fraud.
The maximum sentence she could get for that is of 3 years behind bars.
“Welfare fraud officials obtained a search warrant to seize Octo's financial and employment records –because they smell a rat,” TMZ writes.
“The LA County Dept. of Welfare Fraud Prevention and Investigation (WFP&I), has been investigating Nadya Suleman after getting a tip that she was collecting welfare in 2012 , when she grossed more than $200,000 [€150,920],” says the same media outlet.
This would mean about $80,000 (€60,368) over the maximum amount one can earn in a calendar year to be able to claim welfare benefits.
In other words, Suleman is believed to have lied about her earnings, claiming they were smaller than they were.
“According to the warrant – obtained by TMZ – investigators have targeted 2 locations: the home and office of Octo's manager, the person who presumably has financial records showing what's up,” the celebrity e-zine says.
This isn’t the first time that Suleman and her brood go on welfare but, on previous occasions, she always made sure she stressed that it was only a temporary solution until she got back on her feet and started making money again.
In recent months, though, Octomom has had several lucrative jobs, including pictorials and interviews.