His Job Was to Help Homeless. He Allegedly Helped Himself
A tarp covers a portion of a homeless person's tent on a bridge overlooking the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles, Feb. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
The CEO of a Los Angeles–based homeless services nonprofit has been charged with federal and state fraud after prosecutors alleged he used millions in public funds to finance a lavish personal lifestyle.
Alexander Soofer, 42, was arrested Friday at his $7 million home, which investigators say was purchased with money intended to help people experiencing homelessness. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Soofer diverted roughly $23 million in taxpayer funds meant to provide housing and meals through his nonprofit, Abundant Blessings.
Abundant Blessings held contracts with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to provide shelter and three meals a day for more than 600 unhoused residents. Prosecutors allege that instead of fulfilling those obligations, Soofer spent the money on luxury items and travel, including a $125,000 Range Rover, a $2,450 Hermès jacket, a vacation property in Greece, and trips to Hawaii.
“He was living the high life while the people suffering—the homeless—were left on the streets with no shelter and no food,” Essayli said at a Friday news conference alongside Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
“Mr. Soofer called his company Abundant Blessings, but the only abundant blessings were the ones he gave himself,” Hochman said.
According to the indictment, Soofer falsified invoices to make it appear that his organization was providing fresh meals and rented housing. In reality, prosecutors said, clients were fed canned beans and bulk microwave ramen noodles. Investigators also allege Soofer fabricated rental records to pay himself for housing units he already owned.
Between 2018 and 2025, Soofer received more than $23 million in homeless housing funds. More than $5 million came directly from the county’s homeless services authority, while over $17 million flowed through a Los Angeles nonprofit, Special Service for Groups Inc. Prosecutors said none of the funding came directly from the state.
Soofer appeared in court Friday but did not enter a plea. He was released on $1.5 million bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on Feb. 26. A date for his arraignment on state charges has not yet been set. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
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