Octomom Pleads No Contest To Fraud
Nadya Suleman, also known as Octomom, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor welfare fraud. Suleman made the no contest to fraud plea in court on Monday, according to the New York Daily News. Authorities say that Nadya Suleman failed to report income earnings she received while pocketing $26,000 in governmental welfare assistance for her 14 children.
Suleman’s troubles with the welfare system began after investigators uncovered evidence that Nada Suleman was supporting herself financially with monies she earned after appearing in a sex tape video. Suleman has also made money by dancing nude and making personal appearances for extra cash. Investigators estimated that she earned more than $20,000 while receiving assistance from the government, according to CBS News.
Nadya Suleman’s no contest to fraud plea deal lets her off the hook. Without the no contest to fraud plea deal Suleman would have face over 5 years incarceration and charged with four felony counts.
In the no contest to fraud deal, Octomom will only serve two years probation and do 200 hours of community service. The judge also ordered her to pay a fine, which has already been paid on Suleman’s behalf.
The no contest to fraud Octomom received public attention in 2009, when news broke that she had given birth to eight healthy newborn babies. Critics came out hurling insults and accusations at the new mother for having the babies for public attention. Others stated that Suleman had the babies, which were created by in vitro fertilization, because she wanted to get rich quick.
Nadya Suleman was so overwhelmed by the negative publicity that she wrote Oprah Winfrey a letter pleading with her to let her appear on her show so that people could get a sense of who she really was. Oprah did allow her to appear. Production crews for the Oprah Winfrey Show followed Suleman for 24 hours so the public could get an inside view of what life was like for a single mother raising eight children. Sadly after the show, she was criticized even more after Winfrey openly chastised the woman for making such a poor decision to have in vitro fertilization, knowing she was at risk for having multiple babies, and knowing that she was unable to care for them financially.
Supporters for the no contest to fraud queen say that she didn’t deserve to be singled out with so many rich bankers stealing much more money and receiving better plea deals. Other forum commenters suggest that Nadya Suleman should have gotten jail time.
