Octomom Pleads No Contest to Welfare Fraud, Gets Community Service
Nadya Suleman, aka Octomom, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor welfare fraud charge today and was given two years probation and ordered to serve 200 hours of community service. The mother of 14 had failed to disclose the nearly $30,000 in earnings she made from public appearances and videos.
According to Reuters, Suleman was facing five years and eight months for not claiming her additional income while accepting public assistance. Her lawyer, Arthur LaCilento, told Reuters that Suleman has repaid thousands of dollars:
Suleman, who both sides say has made restitution by paying back $9,805 to the California Department of Health Care Services and $16,481 to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, pleaded no contest because she did not want to go through a drawn-out trial process, LaCilento said.
"We could have litigated this, but she didn't want to go through a long trial and she wanted to resolve it quickly," LaCilento said.
The Los Angeles Times reports that welfare fraud investigators first began looking into discrepancies in Suleman's income in January receiving an anonymous tip.
[Image via AP]