{"id":2649487,"date":"2026-08-25T17:26:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T21:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwe-chased-a-california-paper-trail-to-show-what-happens-a-few-years-before-a-nick-shirley-moment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T18:14:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:14:39","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwe-chased-a-california-paper-trail-to-show-what-happens-a-few-years-before-a-nick-shirley-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwe-chased-a-california-paper-trail-to-show-what-happens-a-few-years-before-a-nick-shirley-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"A Paper Trail Shows What Happens Before A Nick Shirley Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwe-chased-a-california-paper-trail-to-show-what-happens-a-few-years-before-a-nick-shirley-moment%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2649487&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the case of Alexander Soofer, who is awaiting trial in Los Angeles on charges related to misuse of public funds. Soofer, CEO of the nonprofit Abundant Blessings, is accused of using millions of dollars intended for homeless support to fund personal luxury, including a $7 million house and foreign travel. The criminal investigation was triggered after auditors visited one of his facilities and requested proof of services provided, revealing potential fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Further scrutiny of Soofer&#8217;s applications for funding shows inconsistencies and fabricated documents. He listed supportive letters from organizations like CVS Health, Wells Fargo, the Hilton Foundation, and the IKEA Foundation, but many of these claims could be verified as false or unsubstantiated. Such as, major companies like CVS and Wells Fargo disavowed any association or funding to Soofer or his nonprofit, and grant databases from the Hilton and IKEA Foundations do not list Abundant Blessings as recipients.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally,evidence suggests Soofer may have created fake invoices and used misleading documentation to cover up financial misappropriation.A federal complaint alleges he fabricated invoices to disguise theft of public funds. While Soofer has the right to a fair trial, the evidence points toward the probability of fraud before his applications were submitted, which were allegedly full of falsified materials. The federal court trial is scheduled for November 10, but authorities have not released further details, and efforts to get official statements from involved agencies have so far been unsuccessful.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>It starts when the gatekeepers abandon the gate. <\/p>\n<p>Alexander Soofer is awaiting trial in Los Angeles, accused in <a href=\"https:\/\/da.lacounty.gov\/media\/news\/los-angeles-county-district-attorney-s-office-charges-ceo-nonprofit-abundant-blessings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">state<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-cdca\/pr\/executive-director-south-la-based-charity-arrested-federal-complaint-alleging-23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">federal<\/a> courts of using millions of dollars in public funds for personal luxury: a $7 million house, extensive foreign travel, expensive clothes, five-star hotels. As The Federalist <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/27\/the-fraud-scandal-is-a-bigger-problem-than-cops-can-fix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has reported<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/28\/this-california-case-shows-how-blue-states-refuse-to-vet-fraudsters-before-gifting-them-millions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">repeatedly<\/a>), Soofer is the CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/320595986\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Abundant Blessings<\/a>, a nonprofit corporation that <a href=\"https:\/\/laist.com\/essayli-alexander-soofer-lahsa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">received at least $23 million<\/a> to provide transitional housing and support for the homeless.<\/p>\n<p>A criminal investigation began after auditors from the office of the Los Angeles City Controller made a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DT3VolTkjyH\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">site visit<\/a> to a facility run by Abundant Blessings and asked to see evidence of the services he was supposed to be providing. Like Nick Shirley showing up at Quality Learing Center, the problem began with one dangerous request: Show me.<\/p>\n<p>But before Abundant Blessings ever saw a single dollar of taxpayer money, Soofer had to <em>apply<\/em> to be funded as a provider of homeless services. In January, The Federalist used the California Public Records Act to request those applications from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), a joint powers agency formed by the city and county of Los Angeles. We finally received those applications last week, and they reveal some fascinating details.<\/p>\n<p>Public records show that Soofer is the owner of a frozen yogurt franchise near the beach, and the City of Santa Monica provided The Federalist with a business license for that store, which includes Soofer\u2019s name. No reliable evidence shows that he had a professional background as a provider of social services.<\/p>\n<p>To show LAHSA that he ran an experienced nonprofit that was widely recognized as an excellent provider of services to the homeless, Soofer included a long series of letters in his applications from corporations and foundations that honored Abundant Blessings for the quality of its work. Those letters came in the form of \u201cletters of commitment,\u201d promises to provide funding.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Screenshot       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Tuesday, CVS Health spokesman Ethan Slavin told The Federalist by email that this letter is fake: \u201cWe did not (and currently do not) have a person by this name (Katheryn Nguyen) working at the CVS Health Foundation and have no record of either this letter or a donation to the organization that you mentioned (Abundant Blessings).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Same story with Wells Fargo.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Screenshot       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Monday, speaking on background because of the sensitive nature of a fraud allegation, a person employed at Wells Fargo told The Federalist that the bank \u201cdoes not have any funding activity with that organization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, the commitment letters submitted to LAHSA by Abundant Blessings are easier to fact-check. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Screenshot       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation provides a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiltonfoundation.org\/grants\/search\/?topic=Abundant+Blessings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">searchable online database<\/a> of its grant recipients.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Screenshot       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For another example, Soofer submitted a letter of commitment from the IKEA Foundation:<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Screenshot       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Again, the IKEA Foundation provides a <a href=\"https:\/\/ikeafoundation.org\/grants?search=Abundant+Blessings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">searchable database<\/a> of grant recipients, and again, a search for Abundant Blessings produces no results.<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, more steps are required to examine the letters Soofer submitted to demonstrate his supposed corporate partnerships.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Screenshot       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>American Airlines never responded to repeated inquiries from The Federalist regarding this letter, but funding guidelines on the American Airlines website suggest at least two problems with it. First, the company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.com\/web\/i18n\/customer-service\/about-us\/let-good-take-flight\/social-good.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">focuses<\/a> on giving to large and well-known organizations like the American Red Cross and UNICEF. Second, contributions from American Airlines to smaller nonprofit corporations tend to come <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.com\/web\/i18n\/customer-service\/about-us\/let-good-take-flight\/guidelines-and-funding.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in the form of<\/a> \u201cmileage certificates\u201d or time volunteered by airline employees, while direct monetary support is more limited and unlikely.<\/p>\n<p>The creation of a fake paper trail in the applications mirrors the allegations made by federal law enforcement regarding the operation of Abundant Blessings facilities.\u00a0In a criminal complaint filed in federal court on Jan. 21, 2026, a federal agent (whose name is redacted in the public version of the complaint) alleged that Soofer hid his misappropriation of public funds by creating fake invoices: \u201cTo cover up the fraud, SOOFER fabricated fake and misleading invoices \u2014 at times stealing the names, addresses, and logos of real companies \u2014 to make it appear that the vendor and rent payments were legitimate.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Alexander Soofer has due process rights and is entitled to a presumption of innocence. But the available evidence suggests a reasonable conclusion: Before he or someone inside his nonprofit apparently created fake invoices to cover up the alleged theft of public funds, Soofer\u2019s nonprofit corporation submitted applications that provably contained falsified materials in order to begin receiving those funds. That conclusion about the letters of commitment is different than a declaration of criminal guilt, and Soofer is scheduled for trial in federal court on Nov. 10. (Charges in Los Angeles Superior Court haven\u2019t advanced, with Soofer asking repeatedly to push back his preliminary hearing.)<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office in Los Angeles declined to discuss questions about the case against Soofer, saying that prosecutors could not comment while Soofer is awaiting trial. Repeated inquiries with Soofer\u2019s lawyers produced no response at all. Questions emailed to the office of the Los Angeles District Attorney on Tuesday afternoon had not produced a response as this story was published.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, The Federalist asked LAHSA on Monday for a response by Tuesday at noon to a series of questions about the way the agency vets applicants and fact-checks applications for funding. An hour after that deadline on Tuesday, a spokesman for LAHSA sent an email message saying that the agency was working on a statement, but no statement followed. As this story was published, follow-up messages to LAHSA had not produced a response. We\u2019ll add their statement if they provide one.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gatekeepers fail; Soofer faces trial over misused funds<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2649488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/soofer-headshot-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[13028,38675,7523,26079,52540],"class_list":["post-2649487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-memoir","tag-personal-growth","tag-revelations","tag-self-discovery","tag-storytelling-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/soofer-headshot-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649487"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2649529,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649487\/revisions\/2649529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2649488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2649487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2649487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}