SANTA MONICA, CA — A Santa Monica woman faces eight felony charges after allegedly collecting more than $47,000 in public assistance while maintaining investment accounts whose combined balances sometimes exceeded $1 million, Los Angeles County prosecutors announced Thursday.
Ogi Buyan, 50, is accused of fraudulently obtaining $47,059.77 in CalWORKs cash aid, CalFresh food assistance and housing benefits between September 2019 and August 2023, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Throughout that period, Buyan allegedly maintained two investment accounts with combined monthly balances ranging from $60,000 to more than $1 million.
Despite those holdings, prosecutors allege she repeatedly certified under penalty of perjury on public assistance applications and eligibility reports that she had no money in the bank or that her checking and savings accounts contained no more than $100.
Buyan faces one felony count of obtaining aid by misrepresentation involving more than $950 and seven felony counts of perjury by false application for aid.
The case was filed Aug. 7, and Buyan is scheduled to appear Dec. 11 for a preliminary hearing setting at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.
The allegations are part of a wider investigation involving eight defendants across six separate felony cases. Prosecutors announced Thursday that the defendants collectively received $177,233.77 in public benefits they allegedly obtained through misrepresentations about their income and assets.
The other cases involve residents of Los Angeles, Glendale, San Dimas and Inglewood, including employees of the California Employment Development Department and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
As Patch previously reported, prosecutors allege the defendants concealed assets or income from rental properties, business operations and government employment while receiving assistance intended for low-income households.
"Public benefits are a lifeline for struggling families, not free cash for fraudsters," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement.
Hochman said public assistance fraud represents a small fraction of benefits distributed to eligible residents, but his office has filed more than 340 cases this year alleging nearly $4.8 million in fraudulent payments.
The six cases are being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ursula Aguiar of the Public Assistance Fraud Division and investigated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Santa Monica Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.