Nadya Suleman, who became known as “Octomom” after she gave birth to eight kids, was charged Monday with 3 counts of welfare fraud after failing to report nearly $30,000 in earnings she collected from public assistance, authorities said.
According to CBS Los Angeles, Suleman was charged on Jan. 6 with two counts of perjury by false application and one count of aid by misrepresentation. She allegedly failed to disclose that she earned income from “videos” she made when applying for public aid. She also failed to report the extra income she earned for public appearances between January and July of last year.
The L.A. County district attorney’s office said Suleman was ordered to appear in court on Friday. The 38-year-old mother of 14 children was not immediately taken into custody but if convicted, Suleman could spend up to five years and eight months in jail.
Suleman was not immediately available to comment on the matter.
On Jan. 26, 2009, Suleman gave birth to octuplets after already being a mother of 6 at the time. All of her 14 children were conceived through vitro fertility treatments. Many wonder why someone would choose to have so many children but the decision was not entirely hers. Dr. Michael Kamrava, Suleman’s physician at the time, was revealed to have implanted 12 embryos in her womb; the mistake led him to lose his medical license. Fortunately, all her octuplets are alive; making them the world’s longest surviving set.
The single mother has faced financial troubles in the past, including foreclosure and bankruptcy. She has also had to resort to online date auctions, endorsing birth control for pets, making porn videos and asking for donations to raise money for her extensive family.
Prosecutors are expected to ask for bail to be set at $25,000 when she is arraigned in court on Friday.
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