Nadya Suleman has yet again found herself in trouble, and this time, the charges are more serious than ever.
The tabloid-friendly breeder better known as Octomom was charged Monday with welfare fraud by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The charges came as a result of an investigation by the Department of Public Social Services that claims she allegedly failed to report nearly $30,000 in earnings between January and June of 2013.
The complaint, which uses Suleman's given name of Natalie Denise Suleman, says the 38-year-old filed for public assistance in Lancaster, California, in January 2013, but didn't disclose that she was also getting checks for personal appearances and residuals from videos.
Suleman allegedly earned more than $200,000 in 2012 largely from an adult video she made; she can only legally collect welfare if she earns less than $119,000 a year.
If convicted, Suleman would face up to five years and eight months in custody. She's scheduled to surrender and be arraigned on Friday at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown L.A. She was charged Jan. 6 with one count of aid by misrepresentation and two counts of perjury by false application for aid. Deputy District Attorney William Clark, who's prosecuting the case, will ask that bail be set at $25,000.
It's unclear what would happen to the custody of Octomom's 14 children should she be incarcerated. The D.A.'s office would not discuss that hypothetical situation.
Suleman became a tabloid fixture when she gave birth to octuplets in January 2009. She already had six other children, all of whom were conceived via in vitro fertilization.
