> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Santa Monica woman among eight charged in $177K public benefits fraud cases - URL: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monica-woman-among-eight-charged-in-177k-public-benefits-fraud-cases/ - Published: 2026-11-14T17:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-14T16:59:59.000Z - Author: Matthew Hall - Tags: Crime A Santa Monica woman is accused of collecting more than $47,000 in public assistance over nearly four years. Prosecutors say she had investment accounts holding as much as $1 million during that time. Ogi Buyan, 50, is one of eight people charged in six separate felony cases. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced the cases Thursday. Prosecutors say the defendants hid assets or income and collected a combined $177,233.77 in CalWORKs and CalFresh benefits from the county Department of Public Social Services. Prosecutors say Buyan received $47,059.77 in CalWORKs cash aid, CalFresh and housing assistance between Sept. 30, 2019, and Aug. 12, 2023\. During that period, she held two investment accounts with a combined monthly balance of $60,000 to more than $1 million. Buyan is accused of certifying under penalty of perjury, in several applications and eligibility status reports, that she had no money in the bank. Prosecutors say she also certified that her checking and savings accounts held $100 or less. She was charged Aug. 7 with one felony count of aid by misrepresentation over $950 and seven felony counts of perjury by false application for aid. A hearing to set a preliminary hearing date is scheduled for Dec. 11 in Department 41 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. "Public benefits are a lifeline for struggling families, not free cash for fraudsters," District Attorney Nathan 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 Public Assistance Fraud Division has filed more than 340 cases this year, Hochman's office said. Those cases allege nearly $4.8 million in fraudulent payments. CalWORKs and CalFresh provide food, housing, employment, clothing, child care, medical and utility assistance to low-income families. The defendants in the other five cases include an employee of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and an employee of the state Employment Development Department. Rana Soliman, 35, of San Dimas, is accused of collecting $23,255 in benefits between Oct. 5, 2022, and Aug. 31, 2025\. During that time, prosecutors say, she reported no assets or income. They say she owned a Menifee home valued at about $611,100 and collected $3,200 to $3,600 a month in rent from it. She also allegedly received an initial payment of $19,850 to secure the lease. She faces one count of aid by misrepresentation and four perjury counts. Jafar Abdi, 67, and Adrineh Abdi, 58, of Glendale, are accused of collecting $29,579 in CalFresh benefits between May 2021 and June 2023\. Prosecutors say the couple reported no income beyond Jafar Abdi's temporary job at a body care store. They say Adrineh Abdi worked full time at a local college during that period and earned more than $165,000\. The couple also allegedly rented out a Glendale house valued at about $979,000 for $4,825 a month. Hasmik Hovhannisyan, 40, and Hayk Grigoryan, 45, of Los Angeles, are accused of collecting $38,630 between March 2023 and February 2025\. The couple reported Grigoryan's wages as an employee of a Los Angeles bakery. Prosecutors say they did not disclose that they owned the bakery, which brought them $115,055 in corporate income from 2022 to 2024. Nadya Daniels, 41, of Inglewood, is accused of collecting $21,076 in CalFresh benefits between April 2023 and April 2025\. Prosecutors say she reported no income or only part-time retail work. They say she was employed by the state Employment Development Department during that time and earned about $4,500 to $5,980 a month. Nyeisha Nicole Taylor, 41, of Los Angeles, is accused of collecting $17,634 between November 2021 and August 2022\. Prosecutors say she continued to certify that she was unemployed after Metro hired her in January 2022, earning about $1,850 a month. Each defendant faces one felony count of aid by misrepresentation over $950 and two to seven felony counts of perjury. Court dates are set for Nov. 20, Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. Deputy District Attorney Ursula Aguiar is prosecuting the six cases. DPSS is investigating. The announcement also described recent convictions and pending cases involving EBT card skimming and benefits obtained with stolen identities. In one pending case, a Citrus Heights man is accused of using the identities of 22 people to collect about $146,474 in benefits. The charges are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Welfare fraud can be reported anonymously to DPSS at 800-349-9970 or to the California Department of Social Services at 800-344-8477.