LA Metro Employee Among 8 Charged With Fraudulently Obtaining Public Benefits

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced on Thursday that eight people have been charged with fraudulently obtaining over $177,000 in public benefits.

The defendants, who are accused of concealing income and assets to qualify for aid, include one who worked for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and another who was a state Employment Development Department employee.

“Public benefits are a lifeline for struggling families, not free cash for fraudsters,” Hochman said in a statement. “While public assistance fraud is a small fraction of the total benefits distributed, even one person who takes advantage of the system is one too many.”

The charges involve a series of alleged deceptions regarding programs like CalWORKs and CalFresh, which are designed to support low-income families with essential needs such as food, housing, and childcare. According to the District Attorney’s Office, the defendants repeatedly committed perjury on applications and recertification forms to maintain eligibility while holding jobs or assets that disqualified them from receiving assistance.

Employment and Asset Concealment

The case highlights a wide range of alleged schemes used to bypass income verification. Among those charged is 41-year-old Nyeisha Nicole Taylor of Los Angeles, who allegedly collected more than $16,700 in benefits between November 2021 and August 2022. Prosecutors allege she continued to receive this aid after being hired by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in January 2022, where she earned approximately $1,850 per month.

In a similar case, Nadya Daniels, 41, of Inglewood, is accused of obtaining just over $21,000 in CalFresh benefits between April 2023 and April 2025.

Authorities state that Daniels certified multiple times that she had no income or worked part-time at a retail store, despite being employed by the state’s Employment Development Department with a gross monthly income ranging from about $4,500 to nearly $6,000.

Other defendants are accused of failing to disclose significant financial holdings or property income:

Ogi Buyan, 50, of Santa Monica, allegedly obtained just over $47,000 in aid while maintaining two investment accounts with a combined monthly balance ranging from $60,000 to over $1 million.
Rana Soliman, 35, of San Dimas, is accused of receiving more than $23,000 in benefits despite owning a home in Menifee valued at more than $611,000 and collecting $3,200 to $3,600 in monthly rental income.
Jafar Abdi, 67, and Adrineh Abdi, 58, of Glendale, allegedly secured more than $29,000 in benefits while earning significant rental income and employment wages they failed to report.
Hasmik Hovhannisyan, 40, and Hayk Grigoryan, 45, of Los Angeles, allegedly received more than $38,000 in benefits while concealing more than $115,000 in income from a bakery they owned.

The Scope of Prosecution

Each of the eight defendants faces a felony count of aid by misrepresentation over $950, along with multiple counts of perjury by false application for fraud. Court records indicate that all eight have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

This sweep is part of a broader crackdown on benefit fraud within the county.

District Attorney Hochman said that these cases are among more than 340 filed this year alone, involving a total of $4.8 million in alleged government losses due to fraud and perjury.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office continues to investigate instances where public aid programs are exploited. The defendants are expected to return to court as the proceedings continue.