Nadya Suleman Faces New Fraud Charge, Wants To Be A Role Model For Women

Nadya Suleman has been accused of welfare fraud, and now has to face four criminal charges.

Suleman, 38, dubbed “Octomom” for having given birth to octuplets in January 2009, has apparently been working as a topless dancer and “adult” film actress, and not reporting her earnings of thousands of dollars when she applied for government aid.

On Wednesday a new charge was filed by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office which alleged that she received nearly $10,000 in MediCal benefits to which she was not entitled. They are looking for the return of $26,000. Suleman has already pleaded not guilty to three other welfare fraud charges.

District Attorney Jackie Lacey said that while Suleman applied for public aid, the mother of 14 children “allegedly failed to disclose that she was also getting checks for personal appearances and residuals from videos.”

Suleman’s work was not exactly secret — how could it be? An adult video featuring Suleman was released in June.

Gina Rodriguez, speaking for Suleman, told CNN in June, “This is not a new career for her… She is just promoting her new video.”

Suleman announced in April that she was determined to build a future for her 14 young children. If that involved working in adult movies, she would do it, but she would not touch the flesh of another person.

Outside of this work, Suleman collected food stamps to feed her children. She filed for bankruptcy in May, but the case was rejected by the court due to problems with the paperwork.

Nadya Suleman told CNN‘s Nischelle Turner that she had dreams of building a business empire that would create sufficient income for food, shelter, and college educations for her 14 children.

Her goal was to become a role model for other women facing similar major problems. She said, “I’ve got to win the battle… But right now, people don’t understand that.”

If convicted, Nadya Suleman faces a maximum of six years and four months in prison.